Match ends, Aston Villa 2, Wycombe Wanderers 0.
Aston VillaAston Villa2WycombeWycombe Wanderers0
Aston Villa edged past League Two Wycombe to book a fourth-round FA Cup tie at home against fellow Premier League side Manchester City.
Wycombe went close when Garry Thompson headed over after keeper Brad Guzan missed a cross and also nodded over when unmarked.
But Villa defender Ciaran Clark opened the scoring for Villa when he headed in an Ashley Westwood cross.
And Idrissa Gueye guided in a second to ensure the hosts progressed.
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Boos at half-time but Villa survive
Villa are marooned at the bottom of the Premier League and the club's battle against relegation might have been behind the decision of manager Remi Garde to make nine changes from Saturday's draw with Leicester.
Garde's team have improved in their last two league games but they were quickly on the back foot against Wycombe.
There were even a smattering of boos from the home fans at a sparsely populated Villa Park at the half-time whistle.
Villa showed more energy and urgency after the break, with Scott Sinclair the main catalyst for Garde's team.
He shot wide before another strike was blocked by a last ditch Aaron Pierre challenge.
Jordan Ayew headed wide for the hosts, but last season's finalists finally broke the deadlock through Clark, with Gueye's late goal sealing the win.
Wycombe pay for missed chances
Wycombe might be seventh in League Two but they made light of the two-division gap between the sides.
They had their hosts on the backfoot when Sam Wood went close with a powerful shot which was well saved by Guzan.
However, Guzan did not cover himself in glory when he missed a Joe Jacobson cross, only to have his blushes saved when Thompson headed over an empty net.
The midfielder put another chance high when well-placed as the visitors struggled to maintain the pace.
'Wycombe gave us some tough moments'
Aston Villa manager Remi Garde: "The most important thing was to win and go through. We've been professional. It was not always easy.
"I have to congratulate Wycombe. Over the two games, they gave us some tough moments.
"That is the fourth game in a row we are not losing, which is very good for momentum. With the run we are on currently, we're very hopeful for the rest of the season."
Wycombe boss Gareth Ainsworth: "We've got players who are destined for bigger things and, when they put in a performance like that, it makes me a proud man.
"The Wycombe fans were fantastic. They sang even louder when we went 1-0 down."
The stats you need to know
- Aston Villa have now come through each of their last eight FA Cup ties against fourth-tier opposition, stretching back to January 1974.
- Gueye scored his first goal for Aston Villa in his 21st appearance for the club.
What next?
It's a Midlands derby for Villa as the top-flight's bottom club travel to West Brom in the Premier League, while Wycombe host fellow promotion hopefuls Leyton Orient.
Line-ups
Aston Villa
Formation 4-4-2
- 1Guzan
- 40GrealishSubstituted forGilat 73'minutes
- 4Richards
- 6Clark
- 18Richardson
- 24C SánchezSubstituted forGueyeat 45'minutes
- 15Westwood
- 9Sinclair
- 38Lyden
- 19J Ayew
- 39Gestede
Substitutes
- 8Gueye
- 16Lescott
- 17Veretout
- 25Gil
- 27Kozák
- 31Bunn
- 43Cissokho
Wycombe
Formation 4-4-2
- 1Ingram
- 3JacobsonBooked at 82mins
- 7ThompsonSubstituted forUgwuat 80'minutes
- 9HayesSubstituted forHollowayat 73'minutes
- 5Stewart
- 10BloomfieldSubstituted forMcGinnat 54'minutesBooked at 63mins
- 6Pierre
- 11Wood
- 22McCarthy
- 20O'Nien
- 19Harriman
Substitutes
- 2Jombati
- 4McGinn
- 8Bean
- 16Holloway
- 21Lynch
- 23Ugwu
- 25Udumaga
- Referee:
- Craig Pawson
- Attendance:
- 20,706
Match Stats
Home TeamAston VillaAway TeamWycombe
- Possession
- Home69%
- Away31%
- Shots
- Home14
- Away6
- Shots on Target
- Home7
- Away1
- Corners
- Home6
- Away1
- Fouls
- Home11
- Away15
Live Text
Post update
Full Time
Second Half ends, Aston Villa 2, Wycombe Wanderers 0.
Post update
Foul by Kieran Richardson (Aston Villa).
Post update
Gozie Ugwu (Wycombe Wanderers) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Goal!
Goal! Aston Villa 2, Wycombe Wanderers 0. Idrissa Gueye (Aston Villa) right footed shot from the centre of the box to the bottom right corner. Assisted by Rudy Gestede.
Post update
Micah Richards (Aston Villa) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Post update
Foul by Aaron Holloway (Wycombe Wanderers).
Booking
Joe Jacobson (Wycombe Wanderers) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Post update
Jordan Ayew (Aston Villa) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Post update
Foul by Joe Jacobson (Wycombe Wanderers).
Post update
Foul by Jordan Ayew (Aston Villa).
Post update
Joe Jacobson (Wycombe Wanderers) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Substitution
Substitution, Wycombe Wanderers. Gozie Ugwu replaces Garry Thompson.
Post update
Corner, Aston Villa. Conceded by Anthony Stewart.
Goal!
Goal! Aston Villa 1, Wycombe Wanderers 0. Ciaran Clark (Aston Villa) header from the centre of the box to the top right corner. Assisted by Ashley Westwood.
Post update
Corner, Aston Villa. Conceded by Stephen McGinn.
Post update
Jordan Ayew (Aston Villa) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Post update
Foul by Joe Jacobson (Wycombe Wanderers).
Substitution
Substitution, Wycombe Wanderers. Aaron Holloway replaces Paul Hayes.
Substitution
Substitution, Aston Villa. Carles Gil replaces Jack Grealish.
