Trezeguet’s injury-time winner fired Aston Villa into the Carabao Cup final with victory over Leicester City on a dramatic night at Villa Park.
The game had entered four minutes of stoppage time and penalties were looming when substitute Ahmed Elmohamedy sent over a superb cross for Trezeguet to drill a far-post finish across Leicester keeper Kasper Schmeichel.
It sparked wild scenes of joy and a pitch invasion at Villa Park, as the hosts reached their first showpiece final since the FA Cup in 2015, when they lost 4-0 to Arsenal.
Villa – who face either Manchester City or Manchester United in the final – were indebted to goalkeeper Orjan Nyland for a string of magnificent first-half saves that allowed them to go in at the interval leading through Matt Targett’s 12th-minute strike.
And the hosts were enjoying their best spell of the game when Kelechi Iheanacho turned in Harvey Barnes’ cross with 18 minutes left, leaving the momentum with Brendan Rodgers’ side.
But Trezeguet’s late intervention means Dean Smith’s side will be in their first EFL Cup final since 2010, when they lost to Manchester United.
Speacking after the match, Aston Villa manager Dean Smith told Sky Sports that: “I certainly let myself go with the goal. That deep into stoppage time, there was a bit of emotion from everyone and the place erupted.
“Our goalkeeper made three great saves but I thought we were aggressive as well.
“To go and get the win at the death like we did there, to take this club to Wembley, I’ll be a very proud man to walk out there with this team.”
Leicester manager Brendan Rodgers, on his part, said: “I thought we were excellent.
Their goalkeeper made some outstanding saves.
“We had a nice control in the game. I thought we should have had a definite handball for a penalty. By the end of the game I thought only one team looked like they were going to win it.
“It’s tough to take looking back over the two games, but congratulations to Aston Villa and we have to move on.”
