Substitutes Emile Heskey and Stewart Downing scored the goals as 10-man Villa needed extra-time to book their place in the Carling Cup quarter-finals.

Heskey had given a previously profligate and below-par Villa the lead with four minutes to go, only for Clark Carlisle to stun Villa Park with an equaliser with just a minute left on the clock.

Villa responded, however, with Downing’s left-footed piledriver finding the roof of the net six minutes into extra-time but they were forced to hang on when they were dramatically reduced to 10 men.

Marc Albrighton received a straight red for a push on Wade Elliott when the Burnley winger was clean through on goal.

It was another display of profligacy from Villa and, while booking their place in the last eight along with Birmingham and Albion was the priority, they will have to improve if they have designs on winning Sunday’s Second City derby against Blues.

Houllier made six changes to the side which lost at Sunderland on Saturday with Eric Lichaj, Carlos Cuellar, Ciaran Clark, Albrighton, Steve Sidwell and Barry Bannan all drafted in.

Ireland, originally on the bench, was a late replacement for John Carew who was forced to pull out of the starting line-up  due to illness.

Villa dominated proceedings from the off but it took 17 minutes for them to carve a real opportunity.

Ashley Young’s first-time lofted pass sent Ireland away but, still 20 yards out, he took the chance too early and his low shot was saved comfortably by goalkeeper Lee Grant.

Houllier’s team were guilty of an even worse miss seven minutes later, though, when Young squared to the unmarked Nigel Reo-Coker inside the box only for him to fire straight at Grant with just the keeper to beat.

The rebound fell to Bannan but his effort was again saved superbly.

If Villa had the better of the first, the second certainly belonged to Burnley and Villa could count themselves lucky when Martin Paterson broke clear down the left, cut inside Ciaran Clark and curled agonisingly wide of the post.

It was one-way traffic as the visitors turned up the heat withg oalkeeper Brad Friedel making an outstanding double save to deny Paterson and Jay Rodriguez on the hour mark, before having to be alert to tip over a Rodriguez looping header.

Heskey and Downing were then both brought on and both had fine chances to win it.

Downing was sent clean through by a superb Young reverse pass but he got his angles all wrong, curling horribly wide.

But, with just four minutes left, Heskey didn’t disappoint in sweeping home a Young cross from close range.

That should have been that but with just a minute level Burnley were level, Carlisle rising above three Villa players to meet Rodriguez’s cross and squeeze a header inside Friedel’s near post.

The final whistle was greeted with boos by the home crowd but they were soon cheering again, when Downing put them 2-1 up with a left-footed screamer from 20 yards.

Again Villa made life difficult for themselves when Albrighton saw red for a professional foul on Elliott, pushing the Burnley player over inside the ‘D’ when he was clean through on goal.

It took two fine saves from Friedel to keep Burnley at bay, first to parry away a Ross Wallace free-kick and then to keep out an Elliott snapshot, as Villa held on to book their place in the last eight.