Aston Villa have been drawn against Crystal Palace in the FA Cup semi-finals after swatting aside Championship side Preston 3-0 at Deepdale.
Marcus Rashford scored his first two goals in a Villa shirt, adding a penalty five minutes after sharply finishing the opener, before Jacob Ramsey added a third.
Palace blitzed past Fulham on Saturday to earn their spot at Wembley next month, with goals from Eberechi Eze, Ismaila Sarr and Eddie Nketiah.
Oliver Glasner’s side have won their past six games in all competitions and will be dreaming of finally winning a first major trophy.
Fulham were the first Premier League opponents the south Londoners faced en route to the semi-final, having beaten Stockport, Doncaster and Millwall in earlier rounds.
Palace have twice been runners-up in this competition, losing the final to Manchester United in 1990 and again in 2016.
Villa last won a major trophy in 1996 and have not won the FA Cup since 1957 – a 72-year wait.
But manager Unai Emery has a long history of cup success, having won four Europa Leagues, two French Cups and two French League Cups throughout his career at Sevilla, Paris Saint-Germain and Villarreal.
Meanwhile Nottingham Forest – another side without major silverware this century – will face either Bournemouth or seven-time winners Manchester City for their spot in the final.
The Midlanders edged past Brighton on penalties after a goalless draw on the south coast, winning a record third shootout of this FA Cup campaign.
Ryan Yates slotted the winning spot-kick after Diego Gomez and Jack Hinshelwood both missed for the hosts.
An FA Cup win would be further confirmation of Nuno Espirito Santo’s remarkable work with Forest. They sit third in the Premier League and look set for Champions League qualification.
FA Cup semi-final draw in full
- Nottingham Forest vs Bournemouth or Manchester City
- Crystal Palace vs Aston Villa
Ties will take place on the weekend of Saturday 26 April
from Football - The i Paper https://ift.tt/MBW3zEY
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