Aston Villa secured their place in the FA Cup fourth round after beating Middlesbrough 1-0 in a tight affair.
Matty Cash scored the only goal of the game on 87 minutes, his speculative effort deflecting off Emmanuel Latte Lath and curling cruelly past Tom Glover and into the bottom corner.
Villa were kept relatively quiet for much of the game by a disciplined Boro outfit, but Unai Emery was able bring on strong substitutes and ultimately complete the task of progressing into the next round.
Villa dominated early possession at the Riverside but were met with stern resistance from the home side. Attempts to encourage the press were largely ineffective and there were few openings until the 33rd minute, when Leander Dendoncker glanced a header just over the Boro goal.
Michael Carrick's side continued to frustrate and had arguably the best chance of the first-half when Alex Bangura got in behind Cash. But his cross was heavy and Josh Coburn was unable to make contact.
Villa upped the tempo after half-time and Ezri Konsa was unfortunate to see his glancing header hit the base of Tom Glover's far post. Alex Moreno then missed a great chance and should have won a penalty after being clipped by Isaiah Jones, but claims were waved away and the absence of VAR meant no review.
Emery made four changes in the 69th-minute and brought on the cavalry with Ollie Watkins, Moussa Diaby, Nicolo Zaniolo and Douglas Luiz all introduced. But Boro continued to hold strong defensively and Latte Lath caused concern on the break, albeit he was smothered by Martinez.
Both sides continued to trade blows as the game ticked towards the 90th-minute, and it was Cash who opened the scoring. After Villa played a corner out to the edge of the box, his speculative long-range effort deflected off Latte lath and curled into the bottom corner.
That was the winning goal in the end and despite being far from their best, Villa booked their place in the fourth round. Here are your player ratings:
1. Emiliano Martinez - 6
Spent much of the first-half with one foot on the ball trying to draw in Middlesbrough’s press. Well positioned to claim dangerous crosses on more than one occasion.
2. Matty Cash - 6
Scored the winning goal from range, albeit with a huge stroke of luck via Latte Lath’s deflection. Caught in behind a little for Boro’s best chance on 45 minutes but Bangura’s heavy cross a let off. Booked for a couple of late challenges.
3. Clement Lenglet - 6
Stepped in well twice either side of half-time after Villa had been caught. Dealt with crosses well on the whole.
4. Ezri Konsa - 8
Brave to keep firing passes through the lines of a compact Boro midfield. Unlucky to hit the post with a glancing header from a corner shortly after half-time. Dealt with crosses well.