Martin O'Neill has heaped praise on his triumphant Aston Villa side following their 3-1 FA Cup fifth round win over Crystal Palace.

With the Carling Cup final against Manchester United at Wembley on Sunday, you could not blame Villa players for having other things on their minds but O'Neill was delighted that they managed to pull out a committed performance together.

"We went strongly with our side in this game and injuries are always a risk but the players were prepared to take that risk," O'Neill said.

"All the players were prepared to go for it tonight and I did not see one shirking anything at all ahead of Sunday.

"That speaks volumes for the team and the tremendous commitment they showed in addition to the fantastic ability they have."