It was a case of de ja vu as Aston Villa once again had a very contentious decision go against them at Wembley – but there is no disguising how their shortage of quality put paid to their hopes of reaching another Cup final.

After the inexplicable decision not to send Nemanja Vidic off in the Carling Cup final, any good fortunate Villa felt they were due against Chelsea in their FA Cup semi deserted them when Howard Webb refused to award a blatant penalty for Jon Obi Mikel’s foul on Gabriel Agbonlahor.

But just like their Carling Cup exploits, one mistake by the referee did not decide the outcome of the result. While it could easily have altered the course of the game, Villa had the chance to take control of their own destiny but failed to grab it.

 

Villa were in charge for much of the tie. But when you are in the ascendency against a side like Chelsea you have to test them at some point because sooner or later they will raise their game and punish you – as Villa found to their cost in the final 25 minutes.

A conservative Chelsea may have taken a chance by relying on a toothless Villa but the Blues’ defence was rarely stretched and Petr Cech hardly had a save to make.

Playing with width is a big part of Villa’s game and although they done reasonable well moving the ball into decent wide positions, the final delivery on so many occasions lacked a cutting edge. Villa’s blunt attack consisted of routine balls into the box that were predictable and easy to defend.

Only teasing crosses - which are inviting for attackers and a strain on defenders – will cause problems. Michael Ballack’s ball for Florent Malouda’s goal was a good example of this.

To make matters worse Chelsea should have been reduced to ten men when John Terry done the dirt behind James Milner’s back – not for the first time against an England teammate then – and it happened at a time when the game was still very much in the balance.

Up until Carlo Ancelotti’s side took over in the final stages there was evidence of a solid foundation in the Villa team but more quality is required if they are to reach the level their supporters desperately crave.