Reading 2 Villa 4

Villa staged a remarkable comeback in a real game of two halves after coming back from two down at Reading to book their place at Wembley in the FA Cup semi-finals.

It had looked an uphill battle at the Madjeski Stadium after a brace from Shane Long put the Championship side in command at half-time, before Ashley Young's reply and a hat-trick from John Carew completed the turnaround.

Reading had bossed the game in the first-half and - after Jimmy Kebe had a goal ruled out for a push - took a deserved lead on 27 minutes, when Long headed home from close range after Matthew Mills had nodded on Brian Howard's corner.

And the Royals put themselves even further ahead three minutes before the break, when Long escaped the defence again to finish Kebe's cut back.

Whatever Villa boss Martin O'Neill said to his players at half-time paid almost immediate dividends, as the visitors hauled themselves back into the game two minutes after the re-start.

Defender Ryan Bertrand could only slice a clearance to Stewart Downing, who quickly lofted a cross that missed Carlos Cuellar but found Young arriving at the far post, who prodded the ball home.

Carew then completely turned the game on it's head, with two devastating goals in seven minutes starting just four after Villa's first reply.

Starting with Gabby Agbonlahor out with a stomach virus, the big Norwegian started to justify his inclusion with the equaliser in the 51st minute, a simple header past goalkeeper Adam Federici from Downing's cross.

Six minutes later Carew put Villa into the lead for the first-time, getting away from the increasingly tormented Ivar Ingimarsson to finish a cross from the overlapping full-back Stephen Warnock.

It was squeaky bum time for Martin O'Neill's men in the closing stages, with Ashley Young heading off the line from Ingimarsson before Brad Friedel in the away goal fumbled substitute Grzegorz Rasiak's header with his defence eventually hacking clear.

But Villa and Carew were handed the chance to finish the job after a crude challenge from Ingimarsson three minutes into stoppage time resulted in a penalty, with the striker smashing home the spot-back to send the claret and blues through.