Aston Villa dominated Bristol Rovers for 90 minutes and attempted to throw away their result in stoppage time, but were unsuccessful, as they won 3-1. Alex McLeish made the slightly surprising decision to play close to a first choice XI against a team that his second team should be competitive with, but his team came out of the game with a convincing win and no serious injuries, backing up his decision.
Bristol Rovers Vs. Aston Villa, 2012 FA Cup Third Round: Villains Advance Despite Disastrous Stoppage Time Performance
Marc Albrighton put his team up 1-0 in the 35th minute with a good finish from just inside the penalty area, slotting home on a pass from Stiliyan Petrov. Gabriel Agbonlahor came on as a second half substitute and made an impact quickly, doubling his team's lead with a fantastic goal from 20 yards out on the 64th minute. Ciaran Clark put the game away with a goal in the 78th.
Villa fell asleep in stoppage time, gifting Bristol Rovers' Scott McGleish a goal, then giving away a penalty just one minute later. Fortunately for Villa, Brad Guzan saved McGleish's attempt, preventing what could have been an all-time epic meltdown.
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