Heartbreak for Steven Gerrard as Aston Villa oust Liverpool in semi

Aston Villa made it through to the FA Cup final for only the second time in 48 years after coming from behind to beat Liverpool 2-1 at Wembley.

Philippe Coutinho opened the scoring but Christian Benteke bagged his ninth goal in seven games to level things in the first half before Fabian Delph struck a second-half winner.

It was no less than they deserved after an impressive display in which they responded admirably to going behind before dominating the second half thanks to standout performances from Jack Grealish and Delph in midfield.

The result means there will be no fairytale finish to Steven Gerrard's Liverpool career as the final falls on the skipper's 35th birthday. His side will feel aggrieved that Mario Balotelli had a late goal ruled out for an incorrect offside decision but by the time he took his shot the Villa defenders had stopped playing.

Villa were dealt a blow shortly before the half-hour mark when defender Nathan Baker was forced off with a knee injury and they found themselves behind three minutes later. Jores Okore and Delph failed to clear their lines, allowing Sterling to slip the ball into the path of Coutinho, who tucked the ball past Given with the help of a hefty deflection off Okore.

Villa’s response was emphatic as they hit back after just six minutes. Delph gave the ball to Grealish and bust a gut to get into the box to receive it again before cutting back and setting the ball for Benteke to side-foot home.

They took the lead ten minutes after the restart when Delph started and finished a pacey attack. He sent Benteke on his way before getting into the box to receive a neat pass from Grealish, cutting in onto his right foot and slotting the ball past Simon Mignolet.

Liverpool summoned a couple of late chances as Gerrard saw a header cleared off the line and Balotelli saw his effort ruled out by the flag, but Villa held out for a famous win that was greeted by jubilant scenes among fans and players alike.

13’ - CLOSE! N'Zogbia picks the ball up on the edge of the box and fancies the shot. He unleashes a fierce one and although it's heading just over the bar Simon Mignolet has to tip it over.

30’ - GOAL! Villa 0-1 Liverpool. Okore fails to clear his lines and Sterling plays an intricate ball into the path of Coutinho, who takes a touch, opens his body, and curls it past Given.

36’ - GOAL! Villa 1-1 Liverpool. Guess who? Who else? Benteke side-foots home from a Delph pull-back. What a response!

54’ - GOAL! Villa 2-1 Liverpool. It's Delph who starts the move, releasing Benteke, before receiving the ball from Grealish in the box, cutting back onto his right foot and slotting past Mignolet.

73’ - CHANCE FOR VILLA! Westwood produces an immense block and Villa break with three on two. Bacuna has N'Zogbia to his left and Benteke to his right. He chooses the latter but Moreno just gets in to slide and cut out the pass. N'Zogbia is fuming. What an opportunity.

86’ - OFF THE LINE! Liverpool almost equalise! A corner comes across and Gerrard's header is destined for the top corner but Richardson is on the post to clear.

89’ - BIG DECISION! The ball comes over the top and Balotelli gets on the end of it and puts the ball in the net, but the flag goes up for offside. Replays show he's clearly level. It's a poor call but in fairness the Villa players stopped when the flag went up.

The two sides have met eight times in total in the FA Cup, with Villa earning their second win today

Villa now face Arsenal for the chance to win a first piece of silverware in 19 years

This was Liverpool's 24th appearance in an FA Cup semi-final - only Arsenal, Manchester United and Everton have played in more

Villa have now won 11 and lost 10 of their FA Cup semi-finals

They have now lost two of their last nine semi-finals

Can Villa win the FA Cup? You’d have laughed at that question before the third round in the New Year. Villa were bereft of creativity, goals and inspiration for the first half of the season but Tim Sherwood looks to have inspired a remarkable turnaround, with Benteke once again firing on all cylinders. They thoroughly outplayed Liverpool today and if they can muster a similar display in the final they’ll be more than a match for Arsenal.

Jack Grealish (Aston Villa): It’s hard to choose between Grealish and Delph, who were both outstanding today. Delph burst forward with purpose on countless occasions but I’ll give it to Grealish, who played with a level of maturity and confidence that belied his 19 years of age. He didn’t seem phased one bit and was everywhere in midfield, so often at the heart of getting Villa moving forward with intent.

Liverpool: Mignolet 6, Can 6, Skrtel 6, Lovren 5, Moreno 5, Allen 5, Henderson 6, Gerrard 5, Markovic 5, Coutinho 7, Sterling 6. Subs: Johnson 6, Lambert 6, Balotelli 6

Aston Villa: Given 6, Bacuna 6, Baker 6, Vlaar 7, Richardson 6, Westwood 7, Delph 9, Cleverley 7, Grealish 9, N’Zogbia 7, Benteke 8. Subs: Okore 7, Sinclair 6, Cole 6.