Christian Benteke's last-minute strike was enough for Aston Villa to beat Blackpool 1-0 this evening and book their place in the fourth round of the FA Cup.

Villa youngster Jack Grealish was heavily involved in the early stages of the contest, producing a couple of fine runs which ultimately came to nothing.

Benteke saw his header kept out by Joe Lewis as the home side pushed for a goal, while Andrea Orlandi's volley from a corner flew wide of the target for the Tangerines at the other end.

Clear chances proved few and far between in a quiet opening 45 minutes, although Shay Given was forced into making a smart save 10 minutes before the interval to push aside another Orlandi strike which took a deflection off Ciaran Clark on its way through.

The last attempt of the half came via the boot of Benteke, who took a touch of the ball and fired into the side-netting after being picked out by Grealish.

Former Villa striker Nathan Delfouneso, who spent eight years at the West Midlands outfit before moving on last summer, nearly made the breakthrough for Blackpool shortly after the restart, but he could not quite steer his shot towards goal.

Paul Lambert's charges managed to up the ante a little as the game progressed, with Carlos Sanchez forcing Lewis into making a save down low before the on-loan stopper pushed Benteke's drive onto the post.

It was by no means a one-sided affair, however, as Given was called into action once more to deny Ishmael Miller, notably when tipping the former West Bromwich Albion forward's strike over the bar.

Blackpool remained resolute at the back and looked to have done enough to earn a replay at Bloomfield Road until Benteke fired home with just a minute of normal time remaining, taking the ball down on his chest before hammering a strike beyond Lewis on the volley.