Fifteen minutes later, the second half began.
Blackburn Rovers made the first substitution.
Midfielder Harrison Reed came on, replacing Travis. Coach Mowbray was ready to unleash his secret weapon.
However, shortly after the match resumed, Harrison Reed found himself under intense pressure from Aston Villa players. At the 47th minute and 11th second, Harrison Reed received a pass from a teammate near the center circle.
Just as he was about to showcase his long-passing skills, a young man appeared in front of him.
Without a doubt, this player was none other than Theodore Bjorn.
Seeing this, Harrison Reed chose to initiate physical contact with Theodore, believing his own physicality would surely outmatch that of the teenager.
But the moment Harrison Reed made contact with Theodore's body, he realized just how naive his assumption was.
Harrison Reed felt as if he had crashed into a moving wall. He couldn't budge Theodore at all.
Instead, Theodore seized the opportunity and decisively went in for the tackle. He resolutely completed the interception.
After winning the ball, Theodore proceeded to give Harrison Reed a live lesson in long passing.
In the blink of an eye, the ball flashed past Harrison Reed.
It soared swiftly toward the penalty area.
A few seconds later, the ball landed perfectly on Abraham's head.
The 195cm-tall striker easily won the aerial duel, but by then, he was surrounded by a swarm of defenders disrupting his play.
Attempting a direct header on goal would have been challenging for Abraham.
So, he opted to flick the ball backward with his head.
The ball landed right in front of the goal, and at that very moment, Grealish appeared in the perfect position. Faced with this golden opportunity, Grealish didn't hesitate.
Even before the ball touched the ground, he had already prepared to shoot.
Boom!
A powerful long-range strike successfully breached the opponent's goal!
"JACK GREALISH!!! A SUBLIME FINISH OFF THE VOLLEY TO MAKE IT FIVE FOR VILLA!!!" Tyler's voice rang out, putting an exclamation mark on the match.
"5-1! Aston Villa has truly sealed the fate of this game now!"
Although there were still over thirty minutes left until the end of the match, the mentality of the Blackburn Rovers players, playing away from home, had collapsed.
They had lost confidence and fighting spirit.
In the 70th minute of the match, Dean Smith made extensive personnel changes.
Theodore Bjorn, Abraham, and Grealish were all substituted off.
After ninety minutes, Aston Villa had dismantled Blackburn Rovers 5-1 at home.
With this commanding result, the team secured its 11th consecutive victory in the Championship.
Dean Smith headed to the press conference, while Theodore Bjorn stepped outside the stadium to catch up with Dilraba.
"Not bad, big star. You played well, and you even scored." Dilraba looked up at him, her eyes filled with genuine admiration.
Theodore rubbed the back of his neck, offering an awkward smile. "It was alright. Just a standard shift, really. By the way, how did you find the time to come down to Birmingham?"
"I had a photoshoot," Dilraba replied, flashing a bright, teasing smile. "And I wanted to see you play, obviously."
Theodore glanced at his watch, his mind already shifting back to football. "It's getting late. I need to get back inside for recovery and extra training. The schedule is insane next week, so let's chat another time. Bye."
"Hey!" Dilraba called out, feeling a mix of amusement and annoyance as she watched him immediately sprint back toward the tunnel without a second thought.
...
Following the match, Aston Villa's ranking rose from fourth to third.
The top four in the Championship standings now looked like this:
First: Norwich City - 20 wins, 13 draws, 6 losses, 73 points
Second: Leeds United - 19 wins, 15 draws, 5 losses, 72 points
Third: Aston Villa - 18 wins, 15 draws, 6 losses, 69 points
Fourth: West Bromwich Albion - 17 wins, 15 draws, 7 losses, 66 points
It was clear that Villa was now only four points behind league leaders Norwich City, and just three points adrift of second place.
With only seven matches remaining in the Championship season, Villa still had direct clashes against both Norwich and Leeds on the horizon.
As long as they ensured victories in these final seven games, the team had a genuine chance to snatch the title.
Up next was an away fixture against Sheffield Wednesday, a team sitting in 17th place and battling relegation.
Given Villa's current form, defeating Wednesday on the road should pose little problem.
However, what really gave head coach Dean Smith a headache was the looming FA Cup.
Having defeated Brighton 3-2, Aston Villa had successfully advanced to the FA Cup semi-finals.
Their opponent? Premier League powerhouse Manchester City.
Under the meticulous guidance of Pep Guardiola, City sat atop the Premier League table.
Their squad depth and combat strength were formidable.
On paper, Aston Villa was outmatched in every department.
In fact, some pessimistic Villa fans had even joked on Twitter that the club should just forfeit to save their legs for the league promotion push.
But Dean Smith wasn't about to roll over. He wanted to test his mettle against Guardiola.
Smith didn't believe his team had zero chance of victory.
While City's quality was superior, they were fighting a grueling war on three fronts: the Premier League, the Champions League, and the FA Cup.
This schedule would be a massive test of their fitness.
Furthermore, Guardiola was highly likely to rotate his squad for a domestic cup tie against Championship opposition.
Cup football is different from the league—it's a one-off shootout where anything is possible.
Plus, with Watford and Wolverhampton Wanderers making up the other semi-final, Smith knew that if they could somehow slay the giant that is Manchester City, they would have a very real chance of lifting the trophy.
To allow his core players to fully focus on preparing for the Manchester City clash, Smith made the bold decision to field a heavily rotated lineup against Sheffield Wednesday.
Theodore didn't even travel with the squad.
Instead, he stayed behind at the Bodymoor Heath training base to prepare.
Smith's tactical blueprint for City focused heavily on one thing: the defensive counter-attack.
He demanded that his players drop deep into a tight defensive block to frustrate City's intricate passing, relying on rapid transitions.
Therefore, over the next few days, Theodore spent hours drilling his defensive positioning and pressing triggers.
Three days later, the match between Aston Villa and Sheffield Wednesday kicked off.
Despite resting Theodore, Grealish, Abraham, and several other key players, the squad still managed to grind out a gritty away victory.
John McGinn broke the deadlock in the 34th minute.
Spotting the keeper off his line, McGinn unleashed a thunderous long-range strike that nearly tore the net off its hinges.
That single moment of brilliance secured a narrow 1-0 victory over Sheffield Wednesday.
However, since league leaders Norwich and second-placed Leeds United also won their respective fixtures, Aston Villa remained in third place.
Now, Aston Villa shifted all their focus to the monumental clash against Manchester City.
Across the UK, media outlets and Twitter timelines were buzzing with anticipation.
Sky Sports: "The FA Cup showdown is upon us. Aston Villa hosts the reigning Premier League champions, Manchester City. Can Villa, riding a 12-game winning streak in the Championship, pull off the ultimate giant-killing? We wait and see."
Daily Mail: "Guardiola's fixture nightmare. Just three days after wrapping up against Cardiff City, Manchester City faces a tricky FA Cup semi-final, with a massive Champions League quarter-final against Tottenham looming in another three days. A fatigued City will surely rotate at Villa Park."
The Times: "Aston Villa faces their toughest test of the decade. If Dean Smith's men can slay the Manchester City giant, the FA Cup trophy is suddenly within touching distance."
The Athletic: "Can Theodore Bjorn continue to work miracles? The Premier League heavyweights arrive at Villa Park for a blockbuster cup tie."
The Guardian: "Theodore Bjorn vs. Kevin De Bruyne. The 17-year-old Norwegian prodigy prepares to lock horns with the reigning Premier League champions."
...
The day before the match, Pep Guardiola attended the pre-match press conference alongside Raheem Sterling.
The City manager spoke with measured confidence about the upcoming fixture.
"Although Manchester City has faced a congested schedule recently, playing two matches per week for nearly a month, this is what we train for," Guardiola stated calmly.
"It's a huge test for the players' fitness. Many media outlets believe I will rotate the squad heavily tomorrow because the opponent is a Championship team. Yes, I will make adjustments in certain positions, but that does not mean we are giving up on the FA Cup. We respect Aston Villa."
Sterling echoed his manager's sentiments.
"As the boss said, we are going there to win and deliver an enjoyable match for the fans."
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