The wonderful craziness of this season’s FA Cup has reduced the prospect of Aston Villa qualifying for the Uefa Cup but Middlesbrough, one of the fall guys of last weekend’s quarter-final shocks, responded to their humbling by Cardiff City with a courageous performance that would have brought all three points had it not been for a dubious penalty decision.

Gareth Southgate, the Middlesbrough manager, was understandably left fuming by Steve Bennett’s judgment, which allowed Gareth Barry to equalise midway through the second half after Luke Young was adjudged to have handled Ashley Young’s shot despite the defender facing the other way. It was a point, however, that should go towards safeguarding Middlesbrough’s status in the Barclays Premier League.

Southgate wants to report Bennett’s performance to Keith Hackett, the head of the Professional Game Match Officials Board, the referees’ association. “I have seen the penalty incident again and our lad has his back to the play,” Southgate said. “It hits Luke from a couple of yards and if you are not looking at the ball, I don’t see how it can be anything other than an involuntary handball.

“I am bitterly disappointed for my players — they were outstanding tonight — and it was a difficult decision to take. I found a lot of the decisions very strange. But we have to go through the right channels with our complaints. It will probably be difficult to get hold of Keith Hackett at the moment, though, with everyone else on to him.”

Sir Alex Ferguson is among those pursuing Hackett after Manchester United were among the succession of big-name departures from the Cup, which means that the only route to the Uefa Cup through the Premier League is fifth place. Villa are seven points adrift of such heights and, unless they improve significantly, the Intertoto Cup may represent the extent of their ambitions.

Middlesbrough came out of the traps with a zest that belied their weekend disappointment. Instead, it was Villa who played as if they had missed out on a trip to Wembley. Second to every 50-50 ball, Martin O’Neill’s team were chasing shadows throughout the first half as Southgate’s players responded to their manager’s emotional pre-match outburst to play with great movement and invention.

Southgate admitted that losing to Cardiff on Sunday had left him feeling as if he had been burgled, and certainly his players stole the show last night. They should have been more than one goal ahead by the break as Stewart Downing victimised Zat Knight, on his first start since Boxing Day. It was from the defender’s poor clearance that Downing was invited to rampage forward and the England winger did not waste the opportunity, driving firmly into the far bottom corner.

Only Mido will know how he missed from eight yards early in the second half, before the home side finally built up a head of steam. The Villa faithful, as bemused as they were frustrated, finally found hope when Marlon Harewood, a half-time substitute, gave a galvanising cameo.

Luke Young had his back to the ball when Ashley Young’s shot struck the back of his outstretched arm, but Barry, who had missed his previous spot-kick away to Reading, converted his fifth penalty of the season.

O’Neill was disconsolate afterwards. “We have to play better under pressure if European football is to be achieved,” the Villa manager said.The wonderful craziness of this season’s FA Cup has reduced the prospect of Aston Villa qualifying for the Uefa Cup but Middlesbrough, one of the fall guys of last weekend’s quarter-final shocks, responded to their humbling by Cardiff City with a courageous performance that would have brought all three points had it not been for a dubious penalty decision.

Gareth Southgate, the Middlesbrough manager, was understandably left fuming by Steve Bennett’s judgment, which allowed Gareth Barry to equalise midway through the second half after Luke Young was adjudged to have handled Ashley Young’s shot despite the defender facing the other way. It was a point, however, that should go towards safeguarding Middlesbrough’s status in the Barclays Premier League.

Southgate wants to report Bennett’s performance to Keith Hackett, the head of the Professional Game Match Officials Board, the referees’ association. “I have seen the penalty incident again and our lad has his back to the play,” Southgate said. “It hits Luke from a couple of yards and if you are not looking at the ball, I don’t see how it can be anything other than an involuntary handball.

“I am bitterly disappointed for my players — they were outstanding tonight — and it was a difficult decision to take. I found a lot of the decisions very strange. But we have to go through the right channels with our complaints. It will probably be difficult to get hold of Keith Hackett at the moment, though, with everyone else on to him.”

Sir Alex Ferguson is among those pursuing Hackett after Manchester United were among the succession of big-name departures from the Cup, which means that the only route to the Uefa Cup through the Premier League is fifth place. Villa are seven points adrift of such heights and, unless they improve significantly, the Intertoto Cup may represent the extent of their ambitions.

Middlesbrough came out of the traps with a zest that belied their weekend disappointment. Instead, it was Villa who played as if they had missed out on a trip to Wembley. Second to every 50-50 ball, Martin O’Neill’s team were chasing shadows throughout the first half as Southgate’s players responded to their manager’s emotional pre-match outburst to play with great movement and invention.

Southgate admitted that losing to Cardiff on Sunday had left him feeling as if he had been burgled, and certainly his players stole the show last night. They should have been more than one goal ahead by the break as Stewart Downing victimised Zat Knight, on his first start since Boxing Day. It was from the defender’s poor clearance that Downing was invited to rampage forward and the England winger did not waste the opportunity, driving firmly into the far bottom corner.

Only Mido will know how he missed from eight yards early in the second half, before the home side finally built up a head of steam. The Villa faithful, as bemused as they were frustrated, finally found hope when Marlon Harewood, a half-time substitute, gave a galvanising cameo.

Luke Young had his back to the ball when Ashley Young’s shot struck the back of his outstretched arm, but Barry, who had missed his previous spot-kick away to Reading, converted his fifth penalty of the season.

O’Neill was disconsolate afterwards. “We have to play better under pressure if European football is to be achieved,” the Villa manager said.

Aston Villa (4-4-2): S Carson – C Gardner (sub: O Mellberg, 46min), Z Knight, M Laursen, W Bouma – A Young, N Reo-Coker, G Barry, S Maloney (sub: M Harewood, 46) – G Agbonlahor, J Carew. Substitutes not used: S Taylor, M Salifou, I Osbourne.

Middlesbrough (4-4-2): M Schwarzer – L Young, R Huth, D Wheater, E Pogatetz – G O’Neil, M Shawky, G Boateng, S Downing – Mido (sub: L Cattermole, 82), Tuncay Sanli. Substitutes not used: R Turnbull, F Rochemback, A Johnson, J Grounds. Booked: Shawky, Mido, Schwarzer, Boateng, Huth, Young.

Referee: S Bennett.