ALBION suffered an undeserved FA Youth Cup fourth-round exit as they were undone by two unstoppable long-range efforts in a 2-0 defeat by Villa.

Gary Gardner (58) and Ansenio Halfhuid (70) strikes in the space of 12 second-half minutes saw the Baggies' derby rivals through in the Hawthorns encounter.

But the visitors had goalkeeper Benjamin Siegrist to thank for their victory as he won his personal duel with Saido Berahino.

The Switzerland Under-17s international continuously thwarted the England Under-17s striker and the rest of Keith Downing's men.

And his Villa team-mates made the most of their keeper's outstanding display between the sticks in a game where claret-and-blue chances were few and far between.

The visitors threatened within a minute of the start as Samir Carruthers broke down the left and fed Ryan Simmonds inside.

The Villa striker's curling shot from the edge of the box looked to be heading for the bottom right-hand corner of the net until Ryan Allsop swooped low to his left to turn it away.

Albion replied quickly in the third minute when Chris Wood burst onto Kayleden Brown's flick-on and forced Siegrist into a save with a powerful left-foot drive from 15 yards.

Berahino looked sure to fire home the rebound only to see his shot deflected onto the post by Derrick Williams' last-gasp lunge.

Five minutes later Lateef Elford-Alliyu raced down the right wing and cut the ball back for Sam Mantom, who sliced his 12-yard strike wide of the left-hand post when he should at least have hit the target.

Play quickly switched to the other end and Gary Gardner sent his 12-yard header from Jason Lampkin's right-wing corner inches over the bar in the ninth minute.

The hosts should have taken the lead in the 27th minute when Brown got to the left-hand by-line and cut the ball back for Wood, who teed up Berahino eight yards out.

The England Under-17s international saw his initial effort saved at point-blank range by Siegrist before screwing the rebound wide, with the goal gaping.

Berahino's bad luck continued on the half-hour mark as he ghosted between two Villa players only to see his low drive blocked by Siegrist's feet.

Elford-Alliyu brushed off Ellis Deeney in the 37th minute and drilled in a low 18-yard shot that Siegrist got his body behind to gather.

Three minutes later Elford-Alliyu slid Berahino in behind the Villa defence - but once again he was thwarted by Siegrist, who dropped low to his right to parry the Baggies hitman's strike.

And two minutes before the break Mantom flew down the left wing on the break and was unfortunate to see his low drive blocked at the near post by Siegrist.

Berahino was involved again within four minutes of the second-half getting underway as he dipped inside Lampkin from the left and saw his curling 20-yard effort finger-tipped over the bar by Siegrist.

The visitors first chance after the break came in the 52nd minute when Halfhuid headed over from Carruthers' left-wing cross.

A neat one-two with Wood on the edge of the area in the 57th minute resulted in Elford-Alliyu testing Siegrist with another shot on target.

But a minute later the claret-and-blues caught Albion with a sucker punch when Allsop was unable to keep skipper Gardner's powerful 25-yard free-kick out despite getting his right hand to it.

The ball broke kindly for Halfhuid in the 70th minute and he wasted no time in letting fly with a 25-yard strike that whizzed past Allsop into the top left-hand corner of the net.

Two minutes later at the other end Siegrist dived high to his right to turn Berahino's dipping 20-yard free-kick away for a corner.

The Villa keeper then tipped Elford-Alliyu's powerful drive over.

The visitors almost added a third in the 74th minute as Deeney's right-wing free-kick crept through the box to Gardner, who headed against the post.

But the two goals alone flattered Villa and that was emphasised by the way captain Gardner ran to hug Siegrist for his match-winning contribution at the final whistle.

ALBION (4-4-2): Allsop; Gayle (Grier 77), Downing, Malcolm, Waghorn; Elford-Alliyu, Thorne, Mantom, Brown; Berahino (Mannion 85), Wood. Subs not used: Tebbutt (gk), Connolly, Roofe.

VILLA (4-4-2): Siegrist; Grocott, Gardner, Williams, Deeney; Lampkin (Roberts 69), Divine, Blythe, Carruthers; Halfhuid, Simmonds (Nelson-Addy 88). Subs not used: Barrett (gk), Stieber, Taylor.

BOOKINGS: None.

GOALS: VILLA - Gardner (58), Halfhuid (70).

REFEREE: N Radford (Worcestershire).

ATTENDANCE: 515.

ALBION STARMAN: Saido Berahino.