Bolton hang on for berth in final
BIRMINGHAM, England -- Bolton survived a storming finale and will face Middlesbrough or Arsenal in next month's League Cup climax after beating Aston Villa 5-4 on aggregate.
But it was a close call after 10-man Villa -- they lost the first leg 5-2 -- who clawed their way back into contention after having Gavin McCann sent off on 39 minutes.
German midfielder Thomas Hitzlsperger floated a free-kick past keeper Jussi Jaaskelainen from 25 metres after nine minutes and Jlloyd Samuel added a second on 88.
Bolton seemed to be cruising until Samuel scored from close range to set up a dramatic end to the semifinal action.
Villa's hopes of turning the tie around probably disappeared when McCann received a straight red card for hitting Brazilian defender Emerson Thome after a flare-up.
Hard-working Villa had more of the ball and created several scoring chances, but Bolton, with the extra man for 50 minutes, were more than content to soak up the pressure.
Bolton must wait until next Tuesday to know their final opponents after Middlesbrough's return tie against Arsenal at the Riverside -- they lead 1-0 -- was postponed because of heavy snow.
The final is at Cardiff's Millennium Stadium on Sunday, February 29.
