Phillips wary of Vassell

Kevin Phillips has warned Aston Villa they must deny former striker Darius Vassell the kind of gift-wrapped chances he squandered in the first FA Cup clash with Manchester City if they are to reach the quarter-finals.

Vassell struck twice in the league meeting between the clubs at Eastlands in October, won 3-1 by Stuart Pearce’s side, and he was presented with two golden chances in the opening 45 minutes of the cup encounter at Villa Park last month.

The 25-year-old striker missed both of them when he was odds-on favourite to score but Phillips knows Villa cannot be so generous in the replay tonight.

Phillips said: “Darius is a quality striker and he will want to do well against us again.

“In the first game at Villa Park he missed some chances but we cannot afford to give a player like that any more opportunities.

“City have some quality players and they won’t make the same mistakes again, but I honestly believe we can go up there and win.

“We have learned so much since losing to City in October. We have become a little tighter and some of the inconsistency is disappearing.”