'Why can't we win it?' - Rogers fancies Aston Villa's FA Cup chances after comeback win

Morgan Rogers says "anything can happen in a cup competition" as he questioned why Aston Villa could not win the FA Cup following their 2-1 third-round victory over West Ham.

Lucas Paqueta scored nine minutes in, but two Villa goals in five second-half minutes flipped the game on its head, as Graham Potter suffered defeat in his first game in charge of West Ham.

Villa did not have a single shot in the first half on Friday, but they rallied in the second half. Amadou Onana got the equaliser in the 71st minute, with Morgan Rodgers notching the winner, ensuring Villa reached the fourth round of the FA Cup in consecutive campaigns for the first time since 2014-15 and 2015-16.

In fact, Villa have eliminated a Premier League side from the competition for the first time since the 2014-15 semi-final against Liverpool, which was also the last time they came from behind to win an FA Cup match.

The Villans' last trophy was the EFL Cup in 1996, while they last got their hands on the FA Cup in 1956-57, finishing as runners-up twice since then.

"A bit of belief, we were a bit more patient [in the second half]. There was more forward-thinking," Rogers told ITV Sport.

"We created chances, a bit more mayhem in the final third, and that's where our goals came from.

"We know we can come back against anyone. We'll look to rectify the start of games, but we're happy with the way we've finished them.

"Why can't we win it? Anything can happen in a cup competition. You don't know who you'll draw, where you'll play."

Through to the fourth round of the FA Cup pic.twitter.com/pvebbZPoyY

— Aston Villa (@AVFCOfficial) January 10, 2025

Meanwhile, Potter’s defeat means that six of the last seven West Ham managers have lost their first game in charge, with Slaven Bilic the exception in July 2015.

The Hammers have now been eliminated from the FA Cup in the third round in consecutive seasons for the first time since doing so in 2011-12, 2013-13 and 2013-14.

However, they may feel slightly unlucky on Friday. Villa's first goal was scored from a corner, but it appeared that Onana’s skewed shot that led to the set-piece never touched a West Ham player on its way out of play.

"It didn't look it live; we're surprised it was a corner. But the referee has given it. There's nothing we can do now," Potter told BBC Sport.

"The players have had a big week, a difficult week. We need to recover and refresh and have a big game on Tuesday night."

On the game itself, Potter added: "We're disappointed to go out and to lose, but the application of the players has been really good. They've carried out everything we've asked them to do in a short space of time.

"We had some more chances at the end but in the end, Aston Villa were too strong. We pushed and pushed, but it was not meant to be.

"Niclas [Fullkrug's first-half injury] looked a bad one so that's going to be more time. Crysencio Summerville's is a bit more precautionary. We're hoping it's less severe."