Villa to meet Palace in FA Cup semi-finals, Forest face Bournemouth or Man City

Aston Villa will face Crystal Palace in the FA Cup semi-finals following their 3-0 victory over Preston North End in the last eight.

Marcus Rashford scored his first two goals since arriving on loan from Manchester United as Villa cruised past their Championship opponents at Deepdale on Sunday.

Jacob Ramsey added a brilliant third as Villa reached the last four for the first time since 2014-15, when they were beaten in the final by Arsenal.

Unai Emery’s men will now head to Wembley Stadium to face in-form Palace, who thrashed Fulham 3-0 in the first quarter-final tie played on Saturday.

Palace have won five successive games in all competitions, the first time they have achieved that feat since April 2014, while they have also won six away games in a row for the first time ever.

Palace thrashed Villa 4-1 when the teams met in the Premier League last month, with Ismaila Sarr scoring twice and Jean-Philippe Mateta and Eddie Nketiah also on target.

We will face Crystal Palace in the FA Cup semi-finals pic.twitter.com/mflKubdmJn

— Aston Villa (@AVFCOfficial) March 30, 2025

In the other semi-final, Nottingham Forest will face either Bournemouth or Manchester City, who face off in the final quarter-final tie later on Sunday.

Forest beat Brighton on penalties following a goalless draw at the Amex Stadium on Saturday, with Matz Sels saving kicks from Jack Hinshelwood and Diego Gomez.

Forest have needed spot-kicks to advance through three straight rounds, eliminating Exeter City in the fourth round and Ipswich Town in the last 16.

They are the first team to ever win three penalty shoot-outs in a single season in the FA Cup.

Forest will appear in the semi-finals for the 13th time in their history, last reaching this stage in 1991, when they lost in the final to Tottenham. They have won the FA Cup on two previous occasions, in 1898 and 1959.

We’ll face @afcbournemouth or @ManCity in the @EmiratesFACup semi-finals. pic.twitter.com/wb1bRiiYW9

— Nottingham Forest (@NFFC) March 30, 2025

They could meet seven-time winners City, who were beaten by Manchester United in the 2024 final, at the next stage, if Pep Guardiola’s men can overcome Bournemouth.

The semi-final ties will be played on April 26 and 27, with the final to be held on May 17, one week before the conclusion of the Premier League season.