Aston Villa 5-3 Notts County (AET)
- Published
Aston Villa survived a major scare in the Capital One Cup second round as Scott Sinclair's hat-trick gave them victory over League Two Notts County.
Genaro Snijders gave County an early lead but Adama Traore levelled.
Jon Stead's penalty was cancelled out by Sinclair's first goal before Graham Burke put the Magpies ahead again.
Sinclair's penalty took the game to extra time, during which he completed his hat-trick and Joe Bennett scored a fifth Villa goal to seal the tie.
While Sinclair was undoubtedly the star of the game, Jack Grealish - who was one of just two survivors in the Villa team that lost 2-1 at Crystal Palace on Saturday - also impressed against a club where he spent a productive loan spell two seasons ago.
The young forward set up both of his side's first two goals with penetrating runs and passes to lay on close-range finishes for Traore and Sinclair.
Both goals were equalisers after Snijders' looping 25-yard opener and Stead's penalty - following a foul on Izale McLeod - to make it 2-1 in first-half added time.
Burke, who was released by Villa in the summer, put County back in front with a superb curling finish 10 minutes into the second half, but Villa were back in it when Kieran Richardson was fouled in the box for a penalty, which Sinclair converted.
The 26-year-old complete his treble after 99 minutes with another tap-in, this time from substitute Joe Cole's squared pass before Bennett rounded off his driving run with a neat finish into the bottom corner of the net.
- Published25 August 2015
- Published21 August 2015
- Published25 August 2015
- Published25 August 2015