sport news Aston Villa 1 - 2 Stevenage: Dean Campbell's last-gasp screamer knocks Villa ... trends now

CUP specialist Unai Emery was left with egg on his face as League Two club Stevenage scored twice in the final two minutes of normal time to cause a stunning FA Cup upset against Aston Villa.

Emery’s men appeared to be edging into the fourth round thanks to Morgan Sanson’s first-half strike, before Leander Dendoncker was sent off for holding back substitute Dean Campbell inside the box after a dreadful error.

Fellow sub Jamie Reid despatched the penalty and then Campbell himself struck the winner after Villa went to sleep at a corner. The travelling supporters could barely believe it as they celebrated wildly, as Villa were booed off after their eighth straight defeat in this competition. 

Emery has made a good start to life at Villa after succeeding Steven Gerrard but this result is a huge embarrassment, especially as Villa had designs on going deep into the competition, buoyed by Emery’s outstanding pedigree in knockout football – he is a four-time winner of the Europa League. But Stevenage will travel to Stoke in the fourth round after much-travelled boss Steve Evans masterminded one of the greatest results in their history.

Stevenage have caused problems for top flight teams in this competition before, beating Newcastle at this stage in 2011 – 13 years after taking them to a replay – and also forcing Tottenham into a second game at White Hart Lane in 2012.

Their excellent form in League Two, where they are second and look well set for promotion, meant they came into this game full of confidence. On a rare start for Villa, Philippe Coutinho’s first involvement was to shoot well over from distance, and his fellow Brazilian Douglas Luiz also had a long-range effort comfortably saved by Robin Olsen, who was deputising for Emiliano Martinez as one of eight changes to the Villa starting XI.