Cats' ambition of cup glory ended.

Byline: Stuart Rayner

Sunderland 0 Aston Villa 0 (Aston Villa win 3-1 on penalties) SUNDERLAND'S supporters were given a glimpse of the shape of things to come but it was not a happy experience as penalties cost the Black Cats a first League Cup quarter-final for eight years.

Aston Villa's reserve keeper - only playing so that the old man of the Premier League, Brad Friedel, could have a rest, saved four spot kicks - one in normal time and three in a shoot-out to deny the Black Cats a place in the final eight their performance on the night deserved.

Steve Bruce slightly undermined his pre-match promise to field a strong team by making five changes from the disappointing defeat at Birmingham City, with David Meyler and Hartlepool-born midfielder Adam Reed on the bench for the first time of the season.

It was not only new personnel the Sunderland supporters had to get used to, as their team was also deployed in an unfamiliar shape.

With Darren Bent nursing an injured knee, the side featured three strikers but there was no question that Fraizer Campbell and Daryl Murphy were playing as midfielders in a more defensive formation which looked to be designed more for away games than matches at the Stadium of Light.

Only days earlier a disappointed Bruce had admitted a rethink might be needed away from home, and this looked suspiciously like Plan B. As an experiment it worked well, even if it ended unhappily.

As well as being a dry run for the trip to Tottenham Hotspur, this was also an opportunity for the Black Cats' fringe acts to push themselves into the limelight. Paulo Da Silva did himself no harm with a lively display at right-back, but youngsters Campbell and Jordan Henderson did most to advance their chances.

Henderson was Sunderland's chief attacking threat. In the opening 45 minutes his first shot was weak but nevertheless welcome after 12 minutes without one from the home side. His second was inches wide from giving a flowing move involving Kenwyne Jones and Kieran Richardson the finish it deserved and his last contribution of the half, a bullet of a volley was the best of the lot. Only a good Richard Dunne tackle stopped the 19-yearold bursting into the box to shoot. Bruce and his assistant Eric Black were appealing for a penalty but there were few complaints from those on the field when it was not forthcoming.

At the other end, Michael Turner showed a hungriness for the tackle Bruce will have admired after looking uncharacteristicly jittery in the Midlands. Dunne's central defensive partner James Collins was also on good form, robbing Lorik Cana as he broke through in the direction of the box, and taking a Campbell cross off the head of Jones.

Campbell's pace and trickery were a constant problem for Stephen Warnock, who was in the book after quarter of an hour. Villa had a couple of chances early on, Emile Heskey backheeling a Stiliyan Petrov cross just beyond the far post, but their threat burnt out quicker than a cut-price Catherine Wheel, only to be relit in the second half. Their early spark then would be James Milner, a man who once scored at the Stadium of Light for Newcastle United.

The England international whipped in a dangerous cross no one got on the end, and followed it with a long-range shot over the bar before Sunderland had got going again. When they did it was inevitable Henderson whose delicate 56thminute chip from Jones' lay-off drfited just the wrong side of the woodwork with Brad Guzan beaten.

Chances for either side were scarce in the second half, though Craig Gordon had to spread himself well to deny Gabriel Agbonlahor in a one-on-one.

The cheers when Andy Reid replaced Murphy were huge -quite which part of the exchange the fans were so pleased about is opened to debate but given it was the noisiest the home fans had been all night, it may have been a bit of both.

Sunderland had two opportunities to win the tie seven minutes from time. Collins came close to turning in a Henderson cross and when Reid played the ball back in, Carlos Cuellar handled. Jones' penalty, though, was a weak one whch Guzan dived left to save. If extra-time was something both sides could have done without, the Black Cats did avoid one glaring pitfall.

Cana got involved in an unnecessary shoving match when Ashley Young demanded Anton Ferdinand be booked for a nasty foul. Young got his way and the captain stayed out of the book, avoiding a suspension which would have kept him out of the trip to White Hart Lane.

Sunderland were the better side in extra-time as they had been in the previous 90 minutes, Richardson shooting just wide and Henderson going close with another chip. Jones might again have won it in the second half of the bonus 30 minutes, but was unable to get over his header from Reid's right-wing cross.

The best chance of the lot, though, was Richardson's with two minutes left. Back defending at a Villa corner, Warnock miscontrolled and Malbranque pounced but when Richardson was played in, the midfielder allowed Guzan a crucial save.

He would make three more in the shoot-out as Reid, Cana and Henderson were all denied. Only Malbranque found the net for the hosts, while Gordon could only keep out Agbonlahor.

MATCHFILE SUNDERLAND 0 VASTON VILLA 0 SUNDERLAND (4-5-1) 1 Craig GORDON 22 Paulo DA SILVA 6 Nyron NOSWORTHY 4 Michael TURNER 3 George McCARTNEY (Anton FERDINAND 78) 9 Fraizer CAMPBELL (Steed MALBRANQUE 95). 16 Jordan HENDERSON 19 Lorik CANA 10 Kieran RICHARDSON 14 Daryl MURPHY (Andy REID 73) 17 Kenwyne JONES Substitutes (not used): 18 David MEYLER 23 David HEALY 26 Adam REED 32 Marton FULOP ASTON VILLA (4-4-2) 22 Brad GUZAN 24 Carlos CUELLAR 29 James COLLINS 5 Richard DUNNE 25 Stephen WARNOCK 8 James MILNER 20 Nigel REO-COKER (Fabien DELPH 91) 19 Stiliyan PETROV (Steve SIDWELL 115) 7 Ashley YOUNG 11 Gabriel AGBONLAHOR 18 Emile HESKEY (John CAREW 78) Substitutes (not used): 1 Brad FRIEDEL 2 Luke YOUNG 21 Nicky SHOREY 23 Habib BEYE KEY MOMENTS 3 HESKEY backheels Petrov cross just wide 12 HENDERSON has Sunderland's first shot -a weak one at Guzan 26 HENDERSON fractionally wide after good flowing move 45 HENDERSON'S volley well saved by Guzan 83 JONES penalty saved 93 DUNNE heads corner over 107 JONES heads over.

118 RICHARDSON wastes brilliant opportunity to win tie.

Goals: None Penalties: REID (Sunderland) -saved. 0-0. CAREW (Aston Villa) -scored. 0-1. CANA -saved. 0-1. COLLINS -scored. 0-2. MALBRANQUE -scored 1-2. AGBONLAHOR -saved 1-2. HENDERSON -saved. 1-2. YOUNG -scored.

Bookings: Sunderland - Henderson 70, Ferdinand 82; Blackburn - Warnock 15, Petrov 45, Collins 83 Attendance : 27,666 Refere e: Phil Dowd (Staffordshire) Statist ics Shots: Sunderland 12, Aston Villa 11. Corners: Sunderland 6, Aston Villa 6. Fouls: Sunderland 14, Aston Villa 13 Offsides: Sunderland 1, Aston Villa 2

CAPTION(S):

IN THE FACE Kieran Richardson collides with Villa's James Milner. CLOSELY FOUGHT Main image, Sunderland''s Jordan Henderson hits the deck after tangling with Villa''s Richard Dunne. Above, Lorik Cana bursts forward. Right, Aston Villa's Gabriel Agbonlahor holds off Michael Turner while Villa boss Martin O'Neill shows his concern before his side eventually triumphed on spot-kicks.