Phil King's penalty and the night Villa knocked out the holders

Aston Villa had been here before. In the 1990–91 UEFA Cup they took a 2–0 lead to Milan and lost 3–0. Paul McGrath and Nigel Spink played in that tie, and four years later they were in the Villa side that drew Inter again.

This time Inter were the holders. The first leg at San Siro was played in heavy rain, and Inter won it 1–0 with a Dennis Bergkamp penalty in the 76th minute. Before kick-off Ron Atkinson had sent John Fashanu out to the centre circle with an unusual instruction: "start doing all your kung fu".

Villa Park

In the second leg, in front of 30,533, Villa needed one goal to take the tie to extra time. They got it on 41 minutes. Kevin Richardson's cross came off Massimo Paganin and Ray Houghton half-volleyed it past Gianluca Pagliuca. It was his first goal since playing for Ireland at the World Cup that summer.

Villa kept going. Steve Staunton forced Pagliuca into three saves, and late on the substitute Guy Whittingham hit the crossbar. Extra time brought nothing, and at 1–1 on aggregate the tie went to penalties.

The shootout

The first six went in. Then Davide Fontolan put Inter's next over the bar. Villa could have taken the lead, but Whittingham hit his straight at Pagliuca. Rubén Sosa stepped up for Inter and hit the crossbar.

That left Phil King. He had arrived from Sheffield Wednesday in 1993 for £250,000, after spells at Exeter, Torquay and Swindon, as Steve Staunton's understudy.

"I was nervous as anything," King said later. "I was always going to hit it down the middle, but I gave him the eyes." He scored. Villa won the shootout 4–3.

"The ground was rocking, what an atmosphere," King said. As for the celebration: "I was so knackered I didn't know what to do."

Atkinson called it the most enjoyable night of his career. Six weeks later he was sacked.