Fabian Delph says leading his side out in an FA Cup Final will be the pinnacle of his career.
Aston Villa’s captain scored what turned out to be the winning goal as his side came from behind to beat Liverpool 2-1 in a gripping semi-final at Wembley Stadium.
"I can't wait for the final," he told BT Sport. "To walk out as captain is going to be the highlight of my career. So happy days, I'm happy for the boys."
Aston Villa 2-1 Liverpool
FA Cup Semi-Final
Sunday 19 April
Wembley Stadium Connected by EE
Delph – who created Villa’s first goal by setting up Christian Benteke to level after Philippe Coutinho had given Liverpool the lead – reserved special praise for his manager Tim Sherwood.
"The gaffer is brilliant," he added. "He's positive with everybody. He doesn't panic.
“He's got a game plan and we stuck to it and there were a lot of young lads in the team," he said.
"Young Jack Grealish has come in today and done fantastic and we're just so happy. We're thrilled for the fans."
Since Sherwood took over on Valentine’s Day he has overseen wins against West Brom, Sunderland and Tottenham in the Premier League.
He has also guided Villa through two tricky Cup ties against West Bromwich Albion and Liverpool.
Delph feels they can use their Cup run as a springboard to secure Premier League survival and is not worried The Final will become a distraction.
"We're confident we'll come through it.
“Fabian Delph would be too expensive for anyone to buy”
Tim Sherwood
“We'll put that aside for today and honestly the next game we've got to think about is one in the Premier League," he added.
Sherwood was also complimentary of his captain's performance – and said that he and the fans were always confident they would get a result.
"Fabian Delph would be too expensive for anyone to buy," he said in the post-match press conference.
"He has bags of energy and he can add goals to his game.
"The fans ain't come here just for the day.
"They knew they could come here twice. Some have already booked their hotel."
