Aston Villa boss Unai Emery hopes Marco Asensio and Marcus Rashford can fire his side to FA Cup glory.
Asensio’s second-half double, one of which was set up by Rashford, helped Villa to their first quarter-final in a decade with a 2-0 win over Championship strugglers Cardiff.
The pair have both made a big impact since joining on loan in the January transfer window, with Asensio scoring four goals and Rashford making three of them.
Emery said: “Each one is playing in his position, trying to feel comfortable.
“And the players are understanding as well where are the spaces are to use them and trying to overcome the difficulties with the opponent they were facing us.
“Of course, I am very happy how they played and how they are adapting to us.
“We will need them for the next matches and the challenges we have.”
Emery said his side are not contenders for the competition before the game, but with Liverpool, Arsenal and Chelsea already out, they are one of the strongest teams left.
“We are now in the quarter-final and it is one step forward in the competition, we didn’t do that in the last two years,” he added.
“There are some teams who are more favourite than us, Manchester City, Manchester United, Newcastle.
“We know this competition is a way for a trophy, a way for Wembley, a way for Europa League and prestige for the club and the supporters are excited and motivated to try and share this opportunity with us.”
Cardiff boss Omer Riza, who said before the game that he was prioritising the battle against Championship relegation, took pride in his side’s effort as they held out until the 68th minute
“I’m obviously disappointed that we didn’t get a result,” he said. “But Aston Villa are Premier League side. They are in the Champions League, and a very strong side today in the FA Cup.
“So we had a game plan which was to try and frustrate them and stop them from playing forwards early and scoring goals.
“And I think we’ve done that well to a certain extent, other than the two moments that cost us, where we may be switched off.
“But good quality play for them, and maybe us getting a little bit tired covering and getting across.
“We showed really good focus throughout the game. That defensive focus is something we’ll take forward into the league because they’ve proved that they can do it.”
