Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers believes a 'very poor decision ' by Michael Oliver 's assistant referee was one of the reason 's Liverpool were knocked out of the FA Cup semi-final by Aston Villa on Sunday night . With the score at 2-1 and just five minutes left on the clock at Wembley , much-maligned Reds striker Mario Balotelli had the ball in the net only to see the linesman unfairly flag for offside . Replays clearly showed that Villa defender Leandro Bacuna was playing Balotelli onside before the Italian slid the ball past Shay Given . Mario Balotelli ( circled ) is clearly onside as Steven Gerrard looks to play him through on goal . With Aston Villa leading 2-1 , the Reds striker sweeps the ball home before realising his effort would n't count . Speaking after his side 's defeat , Rodgers told BT Sport : 'It was very clear . It was a very poor decision by the official because he 's looking right along the line . 'He should be able to see the full back is playing him at least a yard onside . It was a terrfici ball in , Balotelli has a good touch and he 's in on goal . You need those to go for you . ' Balotelli also criticised the decision , posting a screen-grab of the incident - showing him to be onside - to his Instagram page , with the message 'No words . This picture say it all ' Rodgers ' side had taken the lead after brilliant build-up play from Raheem Sterling and Philippe Coutinho before the latter jinked into the Villa penalty area and curled a right-footed shot beyond Given . The semi-final showpiece was all-square just six minutes later after Christian Benteke swept home from 12-yards out following a neat cut-back from Fabian Delph . Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers admitted he was left frustrated by the assistant referee 's decision . Philippe Coutinho gives Liverpool a 1-0 lead as Rodgers ' side looked to earn a spot in the FA Cup final . The Villains captain earned his side a place in the FA Cup final with a 53rd-minute strike as Liverpool were unable to respond despite throwing on Rickie Lambert in the final stages . Speaking after the game , Delph told BT Sport : 'It was a great performance . It 's been a tricky season for us but we believed we could do it . The gaffer is brilliant , he does n't panic and we are so happy for the fans . ' I ca n't wait for the final . To walk out as captain for the final will be the highlight of my career . ' Villa frontman Christian Benteke ( left ) celebrates pulling his side back into the semi-final clash . Fabian Delph is mobbed by his Villa team-mates after putting Tim Sherwood 's side into a deserved 2-1 lead .
Aston Villa earn 2-1 FA Cup semi-final victory over Liverpool . Mario Balotelli 's late goal was incorrectly ruled out for offside . Brendan Rodgers believes the goal should have stood .