London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Tuesday, Jan 13, 2026

Stevenage beat Villa with dramatic late comeback

Stevenage beat Villa with dramatic late comeback

League Two Stevenage produced an incredible late comeback to stun Premier League Aston Villa at Villa Park and reach the FA Cup fourth round.

The visiting players and manager Steve Evans celebrated with their supporters at full-time after two goals in the final two minutes clinched a magnificent victory.

Substitute Dean Campbell fired in a superb 90th-minute winner after Jamie Reid's equaliser from the penalty spot - the spot-kick awarded after last man Leander Dendoncker was shown a straight red card for bringing down Campbell.

Morgan Sanson's first goal for Villa had given Unai Emery's side a half-time lead over a side ranked 59 places below them in the football pyramid.

But the hosts, despite their overall superiority, were unable to extend their advantage and they were made to pay in a remarkable conclusion to the match.

Fourth tier Stevenage's reward is a trip to Championship outfit Stoke City in the fourth round, which takes place from 27 to 30 January.


Villa unravel as Stevenage cause huge upset


For 84 minutes, it all appeared rather straightforward for Aston Villa.

But their bid to end their worst ever FA Cup losing run - which extends to an eighth match - unravelled from the moment Dendoncker was dispossessed on the edge of his own box and grabbed the shirt of Campbell.

Referee Graham Scott appeared to initially award a free-kick but then produced a red card and pointed to the spot, allowing a video assistant referee review to confirm the penalty.

Reid held his nerve to send Robin Olsen the wrong way and put Stevenage on course for a replay - a feat which would have been a fantastic achievement on its own.

But the League Two side were not done yet and some quick thinking from Jake Reeves to pass his corner to Campbell resulted in the 21-year-old Scot drilling a shot into the bottom corner and sending the away fans into raptures.

Villa have now progressed from just one FA Cup tie since reaching the 2015 final. Stevenage, meanwhile, are the first fourth tier side to beat a Premier League team in an away FA Cup tie for four years.


Wasteful Villa made to pay


A manager with a rich history in cup competitions, four-time Europa League winner Emery made his intentions clear this week as he announced he was preparing his side for this match with the objective of "winning the FA Cup".

Five years after he joined Barcelona in a £142m move from Liverpool in January 2018, Brazilian Philippe Coutinho started among eight changes from Villa's midweek Premier League draw with Wolves.

The hosts dictated from the start - they ended the match having averaged 78.6% possession - but Douglas Luiz's long-range effort was the only test for goalkeeper Taye Ashby-Hammond before Stevenage offered their first warning.

Luke Norris was unlucky to marginally mistime his run before he provided a great assist to set up Danny Rose for what the visitors momentarily believed was a shock opener.

An intricate passing move produced Villa's opener, Ings teeing up Frenchman Sanson for his first goal for the club, but Stevenage stuck to their task and almost had a stunning equaliser when Norris skimmed the top of the crossbar with an excellent curled attempt.

They continued to defend resolutely as Villa increased the pressure after the break.

Perhaps too keen to impress in his first start under Emery, the misfiring Coutinho left the field after 65 minutes, having had a match-leading five attempts but landing just one on target.

There had been little to suggest the match would end as it did. After all, Stevenage scored with their only two shots on target. But what unfolded will live long in the memory of the 3,000 travelling fans present to witness a truly memorable fightback.


Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Meghan Markle Could Return to the UK for the First Time in Nearly Four Years If Security Is Secured
Meghan Markle Likely to Return to UK Only if Harry Secures Official Security Cover
UAE Restricts Funding for Emiratis to Study in UK Amid Fears Over Muslim Brotherhood Influence
EU Seeks ‘Farage Clause’ in Brexit Reset Talks to Safeguard Long-Term Agreement Stability
Starmer’s Push to Rally Support for Action Against Elon Musk’s X Faces Setback as Canada Shuns Ban
UK Free School Meals Expansion Faces Political and Budgetary Delays
EU Seeks ‘Farage Clause’ in Brexit Reset Talks With Britain
Germany Hit by Major Airport Strikes Disrupting European Travel
Prince Harry Seeks King Charles’ Support to Open Invictus Games on UK Return
Washington Holds Back as Britain and France Signal Willingness to Deploy Troops in Postwar Ukraine
Elon Musk Accuses UK Government of Suppressing Free Speech as X Faces Potential Ban Over AI-Generated Content
Russia Deploys Hypersonic Missile in Strike on Ukraine
OpenAI and SoftBank Commit One Billion Dollars to Energy and Data Centre Supplier
UK Prime Minister Starmer Reaffirms Support for Danish Sovereignty Over Greenland Amid U.S. Pressure
UK Support Bolsters U.S. Seizure of Russian-Flagged Tanker Marinera in Atlantic Strike on Sanctions Evasion
The Claim That Maduro’s Capture and Trial Violate International Law Is Either Legally Illiterate—or Deliberately Deceptive
UK Data Watchdog Probes Elon Musk’s X Over AI-Generated Grok Images Amid Surge in Non-Consensual Outputs
Prince Harry to Return to UK for Court Hearing Without Plans to Meet King Charles III
UK Confirms Support for US Seizure of Russian-Flagged Oil Tanker in North Atlantic
Béla Tarr, Visionary Hungarian Filmmaker, Dies at Seventy After Long Illness
UK and France Pledge Military Hubs Across Ukraine in Post-Ceasefire Security Plan
Prince Harry Poised to Regain UK Security Cover, Clearing Way for Family Visits
UK Junk Food Advertising Ban Faces Major Loophole Allowing Brand-Only Promotions
Maduro’s Arrest Without The Hague Tests International Law—and Trump’s Willingness to Break It
German Intelligence Secretly Intercepted Obama’s Air Force One Communications
The U.S. State Department’s account in Persian: “President Trump is a man of action. If you didn’t know it until now, now you do—do not play games with President Trump.”
Fake Mainstream Media Double Standard: Elon Musk Versus Mamdani
HSBC Leads 2026 Mortgage Rate Cuts as UK Lending Costs Ease
US Joint Chiefs Chairman Outlines How Operation Absolute Resolve Was Carried Out in Venezuela
Starmer Welcomes End of Maduro Era While Stressing International Law and UK Non-Involvement
Korean Beauty Turns Viral Skincare Into a Global Export Engine
UK Confirms Non-Involvement in U.S. Military Action Against Venezuela
UK Terror Watchdog Calls for Australian-Style Social Media Ban to Protect Teenagers
Iranian Protests Intensify as Another Revolutionary Guard Member Is Killed and Khamenei Blames the West
Delta Force Identified as Unit Behind U.S. Operation That Captured Venezuela’s President
Europe’s Luxury Sanctions Punish Russian Consumers While a Sanctions-Circumvention Industry Thrives
Berkshire’s Buffett-to-Abel Transition Tests Whether a One-Man Trust Model Can Survive as a System
Fraud in European Central Bank: Lagarde’s Hidden Pay Premium Exposes a Transparency Crisis at the European Central Bank
Trump Announces U.S. Large-Scale Strike on Venezuela, Declares President Maduro and Wife Captured
Tesla Loses EV Crown to China’s BYD After Annual Deliveries Decline in 2025
UK Manufacturing Growth Reaches 15-Month Peak as Output and Orders Improve in December
Beijing Threatened to Scrap UK–China Trade Talks After British Minister’s Taiwan Visit
Newly Released Files Reveal Tony Blair Pressured Officials Over Iraq Death Case Involving UK Soldiers
Top Stocks and Themes to Watch in 2026 as Markets Enter New Year with Fresh Momentum
No UK Curfew Ordered as Deepfake TikTok Falsely Attributes Decree to Prime Minister Starmer
Europe’s Largest Defence Groups Set to Return Nearly Five Billion Dollars to Shareholders in Twenty Twenty-Five
Abu Dhabi ‘Capital of Capital’: How Abu Dhabi Rose as a Sovereign Wealth Power
Diamonds Are Powering a New Quantum Revolution
Trump Threatens Strikes Against Iran if Nuclear Programme Is Restarted
Apple Escalates Legal Fight by Appealing £1.5 Billion UK Ruling Over App Store Fees
×