Aston Villa 2, Bolton 0.

(Bolton win 5-4 on aggregate). Bolton manager Sam Allardyce saluted the "magnificent effort" of his players as they survived an Aston Villa fightback to reach their first major final for nine years.

The Trotters were beaten 2-0 at Villa Park, but will now face Arsenal or Middlesbrough in the Carling Cup final next month after holding on for a 5-4 aggregate triumph.

Goals from Thomas Hitzlsperger and Jlloyd Samuel almost pulled the tie out of the fire for Villa, but the sending off of former Sunderland midfielder Gavin McCann shortly before half time left them with a mountain to climb.

Allardyce said: "I was really sweating for the last seven or eight minutes.

"It was a hugely difficult night, but we've managed to come out on top overall.

"It just shows how important the first leg was for us. I said it would be difficult withstanding the changes we had to make tonight in not having Kevin Nolan and Jay-Jay Okocha.

"It was a big test for the squad and we only just managed to come through with some solid defending towards the end plus Villa going down to 10 men when on a high.

"Emotions will run high in games like this and players have to control themselves and the McCann sending off made life a little bit easier for us.

"Nevertheless, for the last seven or eight minutes I felt we were playing 12 men, not 10 - but it was a magnificent effort over two legs which has got us to a major final and makes us all very happy.

"It was nervy at the end, but we didn't do what we should have done in the second half.

"We should have picked them off. We had opportunities to do that, but failed to do so and that led to the finish we had to survive."

Villa boss David O'Leary praised the efforts of his players and insisted: "I felt we got our pride back. We went down to 10 men and then played them off the pitch.

"Defensively the boys knew they let themselves down in the first leg. It was a big ask going into this game with no Juan Pablo Angel and then going down to 10 men.

"But they were hanging on at the very end and I was proud of our boys.

"They are a good bunch, a small bunch who I am having to ask to play all the time and they have given their all.

"It's been a bonus to even get to a semi-final because the agenda here this season has been to reduce the wage bill and there will be another five people going on free transfers at the end of the season. Now the fight is to stay in the Premiership and we will have a big fight on our hands. We will also now lose McCann for quite a while as well." As regards to the sending off, O'Leary said: "I thought he'd been sent off for the challenge on the keeper, but I've since been told that was not the case so I cannot comment at present.

"If he was sent off for striking a player, then I've no qualms with the referee. If that has happened, then he has let himself down and he wanted to do so well tonight."