Aston Villa was startled by Stevenage's late performance as the League Two team pulled off an incredible FA Cup upset.
Just two minutes after Jamie Reid equalized from the penalty spot, Dean Campbell scored the game-winning goal in the 90th minute to give Boro a thrilling 2-1 victory at Villa Park. After Morgan Sanson's first-half goal, Villa crumbled, and Leander Dendoncker was sent for bringing Campbell down in the penalty area.
As Villa's terrible tournament run continued, Stevenage secured a trip to Stoke in the fourth round. Their lone victory since falling to Arsenal in the 2015 final by a score of 4-0 came against Wycombe in a third-round replay in 2016.
When Unai Emery was hired at Villa Park in October, he immediately set his sights on winning prizes, but Villa tumbled to yet another early exit. They had plenty of early possession of the ball but only had Douglas Luiz's feeble effort to show for it, which allowed the visitors to terrify them.
Exactly 12 years ago, Stevenage eliminated Newcastle from the FA Cup, and after 17 minutes, they were daydreaming of another upset. After some good ball movement by Boro on the left, Luke Norris crossed the ball for an unmarked Danny Rose to score, but the celebrations were cut short by an offside flag against Norris.
As Villa struggled to find their rhythm, Philippe Coutinho's deflected shot was easily gathered by Taye Ashby-Hammond, and the Brazilian also missed the target.
Villa's first thirty minutes had not gone well as they had trouble dismantling the assured and well-prepared visitors. The only quality of the first half ultimately allowed Stevenage to break free, and after 32 minutes, Emery's team took a hardly deserving lead.
After a quick one-touch buildup involving Coutinho, Leon Bailey, and Danny Ings, the latter slipped in Sanson, who scored his first goal for Villa from 16 yards away.
Norris' bold attempt from the edge of the box clipped the bar, but Stevenage remained unfazed as Steve Evans' team looked for the recognition their disciplined and upbeat performance merited.
After the break, as Villa reemerged with fresh vigor, Bailey's close-range shot deflected wide, almost putting an end to any chances of a comeback. However, Stevenage stayed resilient and played with the assurance of a team that has now won 23 straight games with just two losses.
After 66 minutes, Calum Chambers poked wide as they tormented Villa, who by that point had set up camp within the opponents' half.
Bailey missed the target, but Villa collapsed with five minutes remaining. Dendoncker was robbed by Campbell after Robin Olsen intentionally put him in danger on the edge of the box. The forward was pushed back by the midfielder as he advanced into the penalty area, and after Graham Scott first awarded a free kick, he converted the penalty and dismissed Dendoncker.
Reid converted the penalty kick after a VAR review, but it got even better two minutes later when Villa lost focus during a short corner, and Campbell defeated Olsen at his near post to win it.
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