Rich: Awful, devoid of ideas and tired. Crystal Palace were much the better team. Every turn, flick and dummy was easy to snuff out. Suddenly our season looks as barren as all of the others.

FA Cup semifinal weekend is upon us, and Aston Villa and Crystal Palace, the sides set to face off in semifinal no. 1 at Wembley Stadium on Saturday, haven't won a trophy in a combined 148 years.

The cameras lingered on crestfallen Aston Villa faces. One half of Wembley was despondent and increasingly empty. Supporters were leaving early and, such were the queues for the exits, many had their backs turned as Ismaila Sarr’s second goal — Crystal Palace’s third — went in.