Marcus Rashford scored twice to send Aston Villa into the FA Cup semifinals with a 3-0 win over Preston North End at Deepdale in a quarterfinal tie on Sunday.
MORE — FA Cup schedule | List of FA Cup winners, finals
Lucas Digne set up two goals as Jacob Ramsey scored Villa’s third in a comfortable win that was 0-0 at halftime.
Villa join Nottingham Forest and Crystal Palace in the semifinal draw, which was set for moments after this game. Man City and Bournemouth kick off in the final quarterfinal at 11:30am ET Sunday.
Aston Villa’s last FA Cup final appearance was a loss to Arsenal in 2015. Their last FA Cup title came in 1957 with a final win over Manchester United.
Villa and its tournament-master primed for silverware capture
Unai Emery had less tournament work to do than usual in beating a Championship side away at Deepdale, but the knockout king is now two wins away from lifting silverware with a fourth club (Sevilla, Paris Saint-Germain, Villarreal). Villa are a gigantic club and no longer a sleeping giant, but they would further cement their return by grabbing a cup — or two! This is a deeper club now that can deploy different attackers in a short period of time and barely miss a beat. The 1996 League Cup and 2001 Intertoto Cup were Villa’s last wins. They can have two by the end of May if they deliver in this tournament and stun in the Champions League.
Preston North End vs Aston Villa player ratings
(from fotmob.com)
Preston North End vs Aston Villa player ratings (from fotmob.com)
Preston North End vs Aston Villa player ratings (from fotmob.com)
What’s next?
The semifinals will be played April 26 and 27.
Villa’s next Premier League match is home to Brighton on Wednesday, and they’ll host Forest on Saturday.
Preston go to Derby County on Wednesday in a Championship match, then host Stoke City on Saturday.
How to watch Preston North End vs Aston Villa live, stream link and start time
Kick off time: 8:30am ET Sunday
Venue: Deepdale — Preston
TV/streaming: ESPN+
Preston North End vs Aston Villa final score: 0-3
Marcus Rashford 59', pen 63', Jacob Ramsey 71'
Preston North End vs Aston Villa live updates
Jacob Ramsey goal — Preston 0-3 Aston Villa (71st minute)
Digne at it again, finding Ramsey inside.
The midfielder has work to do, driving toward goal and dealing with shoulder trouble from Jordan Storey and hitting a shot to the right of Cornell and inside the post.
He's one of their own 💜
— Emirates FA Cup (@EmiratesFACup) March 30, 2025
Jacob Ramsey gets in on the scoring for @AVFCOfficial!#EmiratesFACup pic.twitter.com/QYgwhmBZo5
Marcus Rashford penalty goal — Preston 0-2 Aston Villa (63rd minute)
It’s a stuttering run-up and Cornell waits and waits and waits but finally commits, Rashford rolling the ball the other way.
He's got another! 🤩@MarcusRashford looked so confident from the spot, and grabs his second of the day ✌️#EmiratesFACup pic.twitter.com/WHagsK6bwI
— Emirates FA Cup (@EmiratesFACup) March 30, 2025
Aston Villa penalty!
Andrew Hughes steps on Morgan Rogers’ ankle inside the box.
It’s a foul anywhere on the pitch, even if Rogers takes an extra moment to go down.
Marcus Rashford goal (video) — Preston 0-1 Aston Villa (59th minute)
Marco Asensio takes the ball at midfield and finds Jacob Ramsey, who drives up field to lay off for Lucas Digne on the left.
That’s where the left back quickly slots it centrally to Rashford, whose first touch is a solid finish.
RASHFOOOOORD! 👑@MarcusRashford gets his first goal in @AVFCOfficial colours 💜#EmiratesFACup pic.twitter.com/wcOTvSCNyJ
— Emirates FA Cup (@EmiratesFACup) March 30, 2025
Marcus Rashford saved
Oh, the Villa man should’ve done better here.
Morgan Rogers sends Marcus Rashford toward goal, and he over-complicates the chance before hitting a ball that Preston keeper David Cornell does well to corral.
0-0, 52'.
Halftime — Preston North End 0-0 Aston Villa
Preston are in this, although it looks like it’ll take a Villa mistake or some brilliance on the counter attack.
Villa have 72% of the ball and a 5-2 edge in shot attempts.
Preston’s Icelandic midfielder Stefan Thordarson had a terrific chance but turned his header just wide of the goal.
Preston lineup
Cornell, Hughes, Gibson, Storey, Meghoma, Frokjaer-Jensen, Whiteman, Thordarson, Brady, Jakobson, Keane.
Aston Villa lineup
Martinez, Digne, Mings, Konsa, Cash, Kamara, Tielemans, Rashford, Ramsey, Rogers, Asensio.
Preston vs Aston Villa preview
Paul Heckingbottom led Sheffield United to Premier League promotion and took the reins at Preston after the club started its Championship campaign 0-2. The Lilywhites have endured an uneven season but are not in relegation danger, and a favorable FA Cup draw to this point has them two wins from a Wembley final.
Villa are alive in the fight to return in the UEFA Champions League on two fronts, via their Premier League table status and a fast-approaching UCL quarterfinal tie with Paris Saint-Germain.
And their FA Cup run has been pretty impressive, even allowing for its status not leaving Villa Park until this round. Villa beat West Ham 2-1 and Spurs by the same score before blanking Cardiff City 2-0 in the fifth round.
Preston North End team news, focus
OUT: Ali McCann (calf) | QUESTIONABLE: Brad Potts (hamstring), Milutin Osmajic (other)
Aston Villa team news, focus
OUT: Ross Barkley (calf) | QUESTIONABLE: Ollie Watkins (knee)
Preston North End vs Aston Villa prediction
There is real potential for banana peel status here, even given the bright lights keeping Villa’s focus on the game. The Villans had far more players busy with international travel over the break, but their depth provides cover beyond the gulfs between the teams. Preston North End 0-2 Aston Villa.
