Egyptian winger Trézéguet came off the bench to score the winner as Aston Villa progressed to the final of the Carabao Cup following a 2-1 win against fellow Premier League side Leicester City at Villa Park on Tuesday.
Villa progressed to the final following a 3-2 aggregate win after the two sides had drawn 1-1 at the King Power Stadium last Wednesday.
Villa took the lead in the 12th minute after captain Jack Grealish fed Matt Targett in the penalty area allowing the wingback to slot the ball past Leicester keeper Kasper Schmeichel.
Villa went into the break with a 1-0 lead thanks in part to goalkeeper Orjan Nyland who produced three good saves to deny Leicester.
Tanzanian captain Mbwana Samatta, who was making his debut, missed a golden opportunity to double the home side’s lead when he failed to connect with a cross from Grealish on the right.
That miss proved costly as Nigerian striker Kelechi Iheanacho equalised for Leicester in the 72nd minute turning in Harvey Barnes cross from the left.
Iheanacho’s strike was his third in three games against Villa this season meaning he has been involved in eight goals in his last five games against Aston Villa in all competitions.
With Leicester pushing for a winner, Villa manager Dean Smith then brought on a pair of Egyptians who would see Villa through to its ninth League Cup final.
Trézéguet came on in the 77th minute replacing Dutchman Anwar El-Ghazi while Ahmed Elmohamady came on seven minutes later for Frenchman Frederic Guilbert.
Leicester failed to close down Elmohamady down the right flank and his inviting cross was tapped home at the far post by Trézéguet in the third minute of injury time sparking wild celebrations from players and fans.
Villa fans invaded the pitch after the whistle to celebrate their team’s victory with one hoisting Trézéguet onto his shoulders.
Villa will face either Manchester City of Manchester United in the final at Wembley on march 1.
