Aston Villa were pushed all the way by Gillingham in the FA Cup third round but escaped with a 2-1 win.
Villa survive scare at Priestfield
Aston Villa were pushed all the way by Gillingham in the FA Cup third round but escaped with a 2-1 win.
A brace from James Milner helped Villa book their safe progression, but Simeon Jackson had given them a scare when he grabbed a deserved second half leveller at Priestfield.
A bright opening saw both sides make their attacking intentions clear, but it would be the Premier League outfit that broke the deadlock on 13 minutes.
The Gills dallied on the ball inside their own half, allowing Stiliyan Petrov to steal possession and present Milner with an opportunity to place a composed finish into the top corner from 18 yards.
Dennis Oli then found the side-netting as Gillingham looked for a quick-fire reply, and Nathan Delfouneso wasted a good chance to fire Martin O'Neill's men further in front five minutes before the interval.
The Gills continued to make a mockery of the supposed gulf in class between the two sides after the break and restored parity on 57 minutes.
Jackson brushed aside the towering frame of Zat Knight with ease as he burst clear and rounded off a fine run when he lashed an unstoppable effort past a helpless Brad Friedel.
It would not be enough, though, to earn the League Two outfit a replay as 11 minutes from time Adam Miller bundled over Ashley Young in the box and Milner made no mistake from the spot.
Stunned
The home side started well but were stunned in the 13th minute when Milner netted.
The winger - who was celebrating his 23rd birthday - took advantage of some hesitation from Miller to dispossess the Gills captain 25 yards from goal.
He played a neat one-two with Petrov and curled a fine strike past Simon Royce from the edge of the area.
Gillingham manager Mark Stimson had admitted he feared a thrashing before the game, but any fears that the Gills would cave in were soon forgotten as they dominated the rest of the first half.
The closest they came to a leveller though was an effort from Oli when his shot from Mulligan's pull back went into the side netting.
The Gills appealed for a penalty when Nigel Reo-Coker brought down Oli right on the edge of the box, but referee Keith Stroud gave just a free-kick - and a yellow card for the stand-in Villa skipper.
Jackson headed just wide after Gary Mulligan had flicked on a John Nutter free-kick.
But Villa, who had been on the back foot since their goal, should have doubled their lead five minutes before half-time when Milner crossed for the unmarked Delfouneso but he volleyed high and wide from eight yards.
The Gills stunned their Premier League opponents by drawing level 12 minutes into the second half.
Galvanised
The goal came when Royce's long kick was flicked on by Mulligan and Jackson blasted home his 12th goal of the season.
However, rather than galvanising the home side and sparking a famous comeback, the goal brought Villa back to life and they pushed forward.
Delfouneso had the chance to restore the lead when he let fly from 20 yards, but his shot went just wide.
Simon King - impressive at the back for the Gills throughout - blocked a Craig Gardner shot before Zat Knight headed just over.
But Villa were to take the lead again 13 minutes from time.
Young, who endured a frustrating afternoon, broke into the box and went to ground under a challenge from Miller and Stroud pointed to the spot despite the home side's protests.
After a short delay while a new ball was brought on to the pitch, Milner stepped up and drilled his kick into the bottom left corner.
Gillingham pressed forward in search of another equaliser, but failed to create another meaningful chance, with Young and substitute Marlon Harewood almost extending the lead on the break.
| Gillingham |
Team Statistics |
Aston Villa |
| 1 |
Goals |
2 |
| 0 |
1st Half Goals |
1 |
| 1 |
Shots on Target |
4 |
| 4 |
Shots off Target |
5 |
| 1 |
Blocked Shots |
4 |
| 6 |
Corners |
2 |
| 17 |
Fouls |
16 |
| 2 |
Offsides |
1 |
| 4 |
Yellow Cards |
2 |
| 0 |
Red Cards |
0 |
| 62.9 |
Passing Success |
63 |
| 18 |
Tackles |
25 |
| 72.2 |
Tackles Success |
88 |
| 53.9 |
Possession |
46.1 |
| 47.8 |
Territorial Advantage |
52.2 |
|
