Normally ice-cool Villa striker John Carew admitted his penalty to prevent the FA Cup replay against Crystal Palace going to extra-time made him feel “nervous.”

With the score in the balance at 1-1, the big forward was handed the responsibility of putting the claret and blues back in front from the spot nine minutes from time in the fifth round replay against Crystal Palace after being impeded inside the box.

Extra-time beckoned and, with Villa facing a Carling Cup final against Manchester United on Sunday, it could have been a nightmare scenario.

But Carew kept his composure to fire home and sealed the tie with a carbon copy just a minute from the end.

He said: “For the legs of the players and everybody it was important to try to win it in 90 minutes, so I was a bit nervous with the score at 1-1.

“Since I’ve been taking most of them I know that they’re trying to predict what I will do. Sometimes I will put them corner, sometimes I will hit them hard, it’s a choice.

“Sometimes the goalkeeper can make the right choice. I’ve never scored two penalties in a match before.”

Villa boss Martin O’Neill insisted justice was served by his team’s first goal – even if replays showed the corner from which they scored should been a goal kick, just as was the case with the claret and blues’ equaliser at Selhurst Park.

The manager said: “I saw it back at half-time and, you are right, it shouldn’t have been a corner, it should have been a free-kick to us. James Milner has had his legs taken off him. If you watch the replay for another angle, a fellow comes in and clatters in so it is a free-kick for us – just before it wasn’t a corner.

“It was absolute justice. There can be no question that British justice has prevailed!!! Not all the time, but last night!”

“We spurned a lot. We got the goal just before half-time but Crystal Palace really came into the game in the second half.

“I thought it might be one of those evenings but we turned it around and deservedly went through.”

Reacting to their pairing with Reading, O’Neill added: “Reading have had a wonderful FA Cup. It doesn’t seem to matter to them where they go, they seem to be able to win away.”