By David McVay at Villa Park Published: 7:15AM GMT twenty-five February 2010
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Net gain: Gabby Agbonlahor"s header had put Villa a idea up at half time Photo: REUTERS 
Master blaster: John Carew was fouled twice by Matt Lawrence and scored twice from the resluting penalties to send Villa in to the last eight Photo: ACTION IMAGES The last time Martin O"Neill was concerned in an FA Cup entertain final, Torvill and Dean had swept all prior to them at the Winter Olympics and the Miners" Strike was in the infancy. It was that prolonged ago.
As Notts County captain in Mar 1984, O"Neill was degraded by Everton but carrying accomplished his personification days at Meadow Lane, he had never reached the sixth turn theatre of the important old foe as a physical education instructor until this attainment over Crystal Palace at Villa Park.
Rio Ferdinand out of Carling Cup last Neil Warnock wordless on QPR move O"Neill warns Villa over Cup daze O"Neill wants no second chances Crystal Palace v Aston Villa: compare preview Sport on radioBut Reading in the subsequent turn can wait, for the Irishman"s cups indeed do runneth over as his colourful group head to Wembley on Sunday to fool around Manchester United in the League Cup final, a most some-more informed sourroundings for O"Neill who won the prize 4 times as a Nottingham Forest player underneath Brian Clough and as physical education instructor of Leicester City.
Two late penalties by John Carew ensured Aston Villa avoided the distrurbance of additional time and reflected the inconsistency in between the dual teams in this fifth turn replay, a tie that could be Neil Warnock"s penultimate one in assign of Palace before, as at large speculated, he departs to stick on QPR.
Whatever Warnock"s week finish has in store, it cannot obscure Villa"s day out in the collateral and O"Neill lavished praised on his players for focusing on the stream charge in palm last night.
"I"m gay for them but not one of them shirked anything tonight," pronounced O"Neill. "Everyone of them was up for this crater tie and not meditative about Sunday. I"m honestly gratified for them." Villa"s relentless call of attacks was eventually rewarded when a slight set square at last translated strenuous supremacy in to goals. Julian Speroni had been in excellent form but he could not repudiate Gabriel Agbonlahor when, from Ashley"s Young corner, he nudged a elementary header over the line. The dilemma flog was a argumentative preference with James Milner removing the last touch; it was a doubtful late dilemma that authorised Villa to equalize and secure this replay at Selhurst Park, moving the predicted Warnock snub though his incandescence was some-more pale on this occasion.
"I could see it from the half approach line," he said, whilst unwell to endorse either the Championship diversion at Doncaster would be his last for Palace, who softened significantly after half time. They were rewarded when Darren Ambrose leveled from a chastisement awarded after Stephen Warnock"s awkward plea upended Alan Lee. The standing quo did not last long, however. Twice in the last ten mins the untimely Matthew Lawrence sent Carew acrobatics to the belligerent inside the 18-yard box, the initial a wanton plea from at the back of when counsel competence have been a improved option. The big Norwegian converted that one with coolness and steady the attainment dual mins from the finish in a heavy mark of deja vu for Palace.
FA Cup quarter-final draw
Chelsea v Stoke CityFulham v Tottenham HotspurReading v Aston VillaPortsmouth v Birmingham City