Bacuna breaks Villa boredom as they edge relegation rivals in FA Cup

Offside flags ruled out Benteke and Andreas Weimann strikes either side of this moment, though Villa needed Given again to thwart both Leicester sub Leonardo Ulloa and Kramaric from the rebound.

Bacuna’s replacement, Scott Sinclair, grabbed what proved to be the winner when Benteke scooped a ball over the top to the Manchester City-owned winger, and his shot squirmed through 42-year-old Foxes keeper Mark Schwarzer.

With Villa Park rocking, as supporters saw their side score twice at home for just the fourth time this term, Kramaric set up a grandstand finish by powerfully heading home in stoppage time from Jeff Schlupp’s centre.

Sherwood’s appointment has already polarised opinion. He can win skeptical Villa fans over, however, from seeing him as a loose cannon (an image he has perhaps unfairly cultivated through media appearances), by taking the team to Wembley.

All Villa need is a favourable quarter-final draw, and they could be taking to the hallowed turf. Such a memorable day out for players and supporters alike is no guarantee of galvanizing success that translates over to the Premier League, though, with Portsmouth’s second cup final appearance in 2010 a case in point.

Any recipe for success at Villa seems to revolve around Sherwood getting supply and belief back into Benteke, with a similar spell to that which he used on Emmanuel Adebayor this time last year essential.

Midfield enigma Tom Cleverley, who is pretty similar in style to how his new manager was, could do with being charmed into playing football confidently again, wherever his long-term future lies.

Villa’s next five Premier League games are pivotal for their survival prospects. At home they face Stoke City, immersed in mid-table comfort, West Brom in a dog eat dog derby, and Swansea City, who lack a cutting edge without sold striker Wilfried Bony.

Between those battles on their own turf, Sherwood’s side have trips to the northeast and will take on inconsistent pair Newcastle United and Sunderland. He’s odds-on at 1/2 to keep Villa up.