City cruise to win as Villa bow out with whimper

MANCHESTER CITY are just a home win over Reading away from their first FA Cup semi-final since 1981 after a thumping victory over Aston Villa last night.

Gerard Houllier must bear the brunt of the Villa fans’ ire after making eight changes to his latest Premier League starting line-up for a game against talented but tired opponents, with lower-league opposition the prize for the victors. None of this will bother City fans, who can once again think about ending 35 years without a trophy thanks to a fourth-minute opener from Yaya Toure and splendid efforts from Mario Balotelli and David Silva.

As City manager Roberto Mancini has been talking about how fatigued his players are at present, Houllier’s team selection raised more than an eyebrow.