Steve Bruce: Peterborough the better team in FA Cup defeat

Three goals in the final 15 minutes saw League One Posh fight back to claim a 3-1 victory at Villa Park and progress to the fourth round.

Boss Bruce made extensive changes to a starting XI which featured returning skipper John Terry and a number of the club’s young stars but the manner of the performance left him fuming.

“It’s difficult to accept. We have to accept it and live with the consequences,” he said.

“All I can say is the better team won, by a country mile. We have picked players, a mixture of young ones and players coming back.

“Unfortunately we have not been able to do enough with the combination to win the cup tie.

“Peterborough have had something like 20 attempts on our goal, which is totally ridiculous. We have not done enough, without the ball especially.

“We have not competed well enough to get through the cup tie. That is the most disappointing thing for me.”

Keinan Davis had appeared to put Villa on course for victory when he fired them in front inside eight minutes.

But Peterborough went on to dominate and Villa keeper Jed Steer made a string of fine saves, before Jack Marriott finally headed the visitors level with 15 minutes remaining.

Birkir Bjarnason hit the bar for the hosts but Ryan Tafazolli’s header and Marriott’s second sealed a deserved win for the Posh - who beat Villa for the first time in their history.

Bruce said: “Nobody impressed, apart from the goalkeeper.

“We all know in hindsight that four under-20s, is maybe too many. But I thought it was important they got some piece of the action.

“Then of course we have some coming back from long term injuries too. I thought it was vitally important they played their part.

“I have picked a team I thought was good enough to get us through the cup tie. On the day we were well short.”

Asked about his decision to make so many changes, Bruce replied: “I have no regrets. I have picked a team I thought was good enough to go and beat Peterborough.

“Do I ask if I have picked the wrong team in hindsight? Yes because we have been beaten. But if I had asked players who had just played four games in eight days to go and perform again, and lost two or three of them through injury, then I would be kicking myself. I didn’t get the combination right.

“Back in the past when Aston Villa won the European Cup, there is a picture downstairs, there were 14 of them. We’ve got 25 players.

“Unless you do play them, when you do recall them, that is what you get. We needed some of them to play in the game.

“We needed the kids to understand what it is like to play in a big tough competition. And show them how difficult it is to become a big player for Aston Villa. They have had a big culture shock today.”