Coral’s Heroes and Villains: FA Cup quarter-finals

Heroes

Fabian Delph
The 25-year-old was arguably the best player on the pitch in Aston Villa’s quarter-final 2-0 win over rivals West Bromwich Albion. His team were lacklustre in the first half, and the Villans captain appeared to be the only one adventurous enough to try and dictate play. He took his goal well in the second period to put his side ahead, drilling it with power and accuracy past goalkeeper Boaz Myhill.

Craig Conway
A constant, and energetic threat for Blackburn Rovers against Liverpool at Anfield, providing width and support on the flank, always willing to make runs into the box and beat the Reds defence. He also carved out a chance in the opening few minutes, firing just over the bar, as the visitors pressed for the early advantage.

Tim Sherwood
An inspirational half time team talk from the new Villa boss was no doubt the reason for a much-improved performance in the second period. It appears that the 46-year-old, along with his trademark gilet, is starting work wonders at Villa Park, and should he land silverware, he will become an overnight hero.

Villains

Villa Park crowd
A partial pitch invasion following the home side’s second goal meant the match was halted for five minutes, as a small minority ran riot in front of the television cameras. With the full time whistle going shortly after the restart, the masses filled the pitch to celebrate with the players as the club secured a place at Wembley.

Bradford and Reading
Neither team could fashion a goal at Valley Parade, in what was a nervy encounter. Bradford looked a shadow of the side that beat Premier League outfits Chelsea and Sunderland, while Reading looked happy to settle for a replay at the Madejski.

Anthony Taylor
Two arguably soft second yellow cards for firstly Baggies’ Claudio Yacob and the home side’s Jack Grealish made the referee an unpopular figure among both sets of fans. Yacob was the victim of Leandro Bacuna’s sliding challenge who hurt himself in the process, with the former staying on his feet, while Grealish was adjudged to have dived, when there was a case for him being off-balance.