City win another boost for Pearce
Despite Steven Davis’ late effort, goals either side of the interval from Georgios Samaras and, against his former club, Darius Vassell proved enough to earn the Blues a last eight tussle at home to either Bolton or West Ham next Monday.
And while Pearce continues to insist talk of him replacing Sven-Goran Eriksson as England manager is not a distraction to his nine-to-five job at City, his work at Eastlands is surely catching the attention of FA chief executive Brian Barwick.
He may lack the experience of Alan Curbishley and Sam Allardyce but the candidates share the similarity of never having won a major trophy.
Ironically, all three remain alive on this season’s road to Cardiff, with City now three wins away from lifting their first silverware in over three decades.
Samaras ran riot early on, using his bulk to unsettle Villa’s defence and his quick feet to dazzle them.
There was only going to be one winner when he and Olof Mellberg chased down an Albert Riera pass lofted deep into Villa territory.
City’s striker simply barged his marker away and raced into the box and, after Thomas Sorensen had beaten his first shot away, clinically dispatched the rebound.
Samaras was so obviously the hosts’ danger man it was no surprise Villa picked him out for special attention.
The only explanation for Phil Dowd’s failure to book Liam Ridgewell when he scraped his studs straight down Samaras’ back with one aerial challenge was that he did not see it and Gareth Barry was equally fortunate to escape after driving his knees into the forward’s chest.
It was hardly a surprise Samaras did not appear after the interval, although by then, it should not have mattered anyway.
Desperately eager to impress against the club he supported as a boy and the manager who showed him the door last summer, Vassell managed to take Mellberg, Aaron Hughes and, crucially, the ball, with one amazing sliding tackle.
Vassell immediately set Trevor Sinclair running at an open goal but the former England winger’s nerve failed him and when he blasted against Sorensen’s legs, this time there was no second chance.
It hardly mattered to Vassell though, who, after his double in the Premiership meeting between the sides, inflicted more pain on Villa with his close range finish two minutes after the restart.
: James, Sun, Dunne, Richards, Jordan, Sinclair, Barton, Musampa, Riera, Samaras (Sibierski 45), Vassell (Wright-Phillips 89).
: Sorensen, Hughes, Mellberg, Ridgewell, Bouma, McCann, Davis, Barry, Baros (Gardner 40), Phillips, Moore.
: P Dowd (Staffordshire).
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