Cazorla opened the scoring in the sixth minute, but Villa came back strongly and equalized through Andreas Weimann after the break.

Arsenal threw everything at Villa keeper Brad Guzan, but the Gunners could not find a way past until Cazorla found the net with five minutes remaining — saving his manager from another ear-bashing from the supporters who have started to doubt whether the Frenchman is the right man to lead the club forward.

Many had questioned whether Wenger had lost the plot this week with a bizarre news conference rant sandwiched in between two disappointing defeats to Blackburn and Bayern Munich.

Some of those doubters will not have been convinced by this performance. Wenger’s men were often sloppy in possession, looked edgy at the back, and their propensity to want to walk the ball in to the net caused a huge amount of frustration among the home crowd at a sparsely populated Emirates Stadium.

After the match, Wenger took aim at his critics once more. When asked whether these had been “dreadful times”, Wenger replied: “Of course. But you do your job and focus on the next game. That’s what I did.

“I’m not 30 years in this job at the top level to be destroyed by people saying I don’t know what I’m doing. (If I was) I would have stopped this job a long time ago. But we have responsibilities and have to stand up and get the team ready to fight.”

Whatever criticisms are aimed at Wenger — whether it be his match tactics or his transfer policy — there is no doubt he possesses players who can turn the game with a bit of magic. Cazorla is certainly of them.

The Spaniard, who now has 11 goals for the club, drifted in and out of the game, but he took his two strikes brilliantly.

“Santi Cazorla played very well and delivered in a game that was very important. He’s a great player,” Wenger said. “He has shown he’s a great football player and I’m happy and grateful he delivered those two important goals today.

“I didn’t expect him to score so many goals for us. He has 11 games to go so he could get a few more. For me, he’s a complete football player because he also has spirit. He was a bit tired in the last few minutes, but he continued to fight. He’s a good example to follow. He’s happy to come and play and practice every day, and he gives you absolutely everything on a football pitch.”

The win puts pressure on Tottenham, which now has a one-point advantage over their rival for fourth place ahead of a game at West Ham on Monday.

Villa remains one point above the relegation zone, and on this evidence, certainly has the players to stay up.

Watched by owner American owner Stan Kroenke, making a rare visit to north London, Arsenal started well.

Jack Wilshere capitalized on a poor backpass and raced at goal, but the midfielder fired straight at the American Guzan.

Cazorla then lifted the quiet atmosphere inside the Emirates with Arsenal’s opener in the sixth minute.

Nathan Baker blocked Cazorla’s initial shot after some good work by Wilshere, but the Spaniard made no mistake with his second effort, slotting past Guzan with a beautiful curling effort.

Urged on by an animated Paul Lambert from the touchline, Villa looked to hit straight back. Charles N’Zogbia raced down the right past Thomas Vermaelen and pulled the ball back for Gabriel Agbonlahor, but Wojciech Szczesny saved.

N’Zogbia cantered down the flank moments later, but Agbonlahor was unable to keep up with him and he arrived just too late to tap in the Frenchman’s cross.

Weimann was the next man to charge at the Gunners defense. He laid the ball off to N’Zogbia, but Szczesny parried well before Thomas Vermaelen hooked the ball clear.

Villa’s attacks led to a nervous atmosphere inside the Emirates, but Theo Walcott brought them to the edge of their seats with a teasing curler that flew inches over Guzan’s goal.

Villa continued to pour forward, however. Matt Lowton nutmegged Abou Diaby and entered the Arsenal box, but Vermaelen came to the rescue with a last-gasp tackle. Lowton caught the Belgian in his follow-through and was booked for the foul. Diaby then entered the book for a clumsy challenge on N’Zogbia.

Arsenal’s passing was often sloppy and the home fans became annoyed at the Gunners’ attempts to pass the ball in to the net.

The hosts did produce an impressive move just before the break, though, with Cazorla finding Olivier Giroud, but Guzan was equal to the Frenchman’s effort.

Arsenal started to dominate the game again after the break but again was reluctant to shoot on goal, much to the annoyance of the home crowd.

With Arsenal throwing so many players forward, the Gunners were left vulnerable at the back.

Weimann went on another rampaging counter down the right and crossed for Agbonlahor, but the forward headed wide.

Wenger was forced into a change just after the hour when Diaby hobbled off with another injury. Aaron Ramsey came on in his place.

Villa then stunned the home side by equalizing. Carl Jenkinson failed to clear a long punt down field, the ball made its way to Weimann and he went on a blistering 40-yard run before beating Szczesny with a weak shot.

Wenger rose from his bench and cast a disappointed glare at his team. His troubles nearly worsened soon after when Christian Benteke found space at the back post, but Per Mertesacker got in front of the Belgian before he could head on goal.

Wenger gambled, throwing Lukas Podolski on for Jenkinson, and Arsenal pressured the visitors’ box.

Guzan saved brilliantly to deny Giroud from point-blank range as Arsenal continued to pile forward.

Arsenal got its reward five minutes from time when Nacho Monreal swung the ball into the box and Cazorla converted, much to the relief of Wenger and the home fans.

Lambert was disappointed to see his team come away with nothing despite a pleasing display.

“We shouldn’t have lost it,” he said. “We were exceptional in parts of that game and we should have been in the lead at halftime. At the very least we should have come away with a point.”

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The Gunners face Bayern Munich in the Champions League on Tuesday night and manager Arsene Wenger had made several changes, with Jack Wilshere, Theo Walcott and Santi Cazorla all starting on the bench.

Even so, there should still have been enough quality to see off the lower-division Championship side.

Gervinho missed a great chance at the end of the first half that proved costly as Colin Kazim-Richards’ scrappy effort after 72 minutes proved enough to inflict Arsenal’s first home FA Cup defeat since their move to the Emirates Stadium and hand Rovers a memorable win.

Wenger offered no excuses for the loss.

“We had 11 international players on the pitch at the start of the game. We had a lot of the ball and [Blackburn] defended well. We had 16 shots at goal, they only had one shot at goal,” he said. “We made a massive mistake on the goal and we were not good enough to win the game, it is as simple as that.

“Not one defeat is acceptable. You are in this job to win every single game.”

Arsenal now faces the possibility of an eighth season without silverware, unless it can come through in the Champions League. The home fans vented their frustrations as boos rang out around the Emirates at the final whistle.

“You do not want your fans to be happy when you lose at home to Blackburn when the team has one shot at goal,” Wenger said. “It is very painful and very disappointing to lose a game like that. What is important now is to focus on the next one.”

Blackburn, which still has not conceded a goal in this season’s FA Cup, fashioned an early chance when a free kick from the left was flashed through the Arsenal six-yard box and Markus Olsson knocked the loose ball wide at the far post.

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain had been given a chance to impress in midfield for Arsenal, and the England international was soon on the ball, releasing Tomas Rosicky down the right only for the Czech winger to clip his attempted cross behind.

Oxlade-Chamberlain then decided to do it himself, charging into the Blackburn penalty area and cutting a pass back across the six-yard box where Bradley Orr hacked clear.

The Rovers full back was shown a yellow card by referee Mike Dean in the 12th minute after scything down Gervinho as the Ivory Coast forward, back from the African Nations Cup, looked to break down the left.

Arsenal fans behind the goal at the Clock End called for a penalty when Rosicky’s cross hit Scott Dann on the arm as he blocked it behind for a corner, but the referee was not interested.

The home side continued to press, forcing a succession of corners.

In the 25th minute, Arsenal finally got the delivery right from Rosicky, and Abou Diaby rose to power a bullet header goalward, which Rovers goalkeeper Jake Kean beat away at full stretch with a magnificent reaction save.

Kean was on hand to palm away a looping header from captain Thomas Vermaelen, fit again following an ankle problem, as the Rovers goal was under siege again.

The best opening came just before halftime when Rosicky slipped Gervinho into the penalty area, but despite holding off the defender, the Ivory Coast forward dragged his shot wide of the post — before dropping to his knees and looking to the heavens.

Blackburn started the second half brightly.

Vermaelen had to be alert as he touched a cross behind with Jordan Rhodes waiting to knock the ball in at the far post.

Arsenal slowly regained momentum, and Diaby flashed a 25-yard effort wide.

Blackburn made a change after 63 minutes when Markus Olsson was replaced by former Arsenal man David Bentley, who rejoined his old club Rovers on loan from Tottenham — and received a less-than-warm welcome from the home support.

Rosicky crashed a 20-yard effort off the crossbar and Rovers defender Grant Hanley made an important block as Gervinho cut in from the right.

With 20 minutes left, Wenger had seen enough and made a triple substitution as Walcott, Wilshere and Cazorla replaced Gervinho, Rosicky and Oxlade-Chamberlain.

However, out of nothing, Blackburn snatched the lead.

Martin Olsson burst into the left side of the penalty area and drilled the ball, which Wojciech Szczesny parried into the path of Kazim-Richards, whose scuffed follow-up effort bounced onto the post and in.

Arsenal immediately went on the offensive, with Walcott surging down the right, but was faced with a wall of blue shirts.

Diaby’s effort was charged down and Kean somehow saved a close-range header from Walcott before Giroud’s effort in stoppage-time was blocked as Rovers clung on for a famous win.

“To come to Arsenal and get through a cup tie is one thing, but to keep a clean sheet and defend as well as we did is another, and that is testament to our players,” said Blackburn boss Michael Appleton. “We have two man-mountains in the centre of defense.”

Later Saturday, a stoppage-time goal from substitute Matt Smith earned Oldham a 2-2 draw against Everton and a replay at Goodison Park.

Jordan Obita gave the Latics a 14th-minute lead at Boundary Park, smashing home with his left foot.

Victor Anichebe then leveled 11 minutes later with a crisp strike into the bottom left corner, and Phil Jagielka’s header three minutes after the interval looked to have done enough to give Everton the win.

However, Smith came out on top in a penalty-area scramble to head in an equalizer in the fourth minute of stoppage time.

Luton’s impressive FA Cup run came to an end with a 3-0 defeat at home to Millwall. The nonleague side had stunned Norwich three weeks ago to reach this stage but found its Championship opponent one step too far at Kenilworth Road.

James Henry put the Lions in front after 12 minutes following a mistake by Janos Kovacs, with Rob Hulse adding another nine minutes before the interval from a tight angle. Dany N’Guessan then sealed the win with five minutes left to send Millwall through to the last eight.

A nonleague side has not made the FA Cup quarterfinals in 99 years.

Barnsley made it a hat trick of Championship teams in the quarterfinals with a 3-1 victory at League One’s MK Dons.

Chris Dagnall opened the scoring for the visitors after just three minutes before Marlon Harewood doubled the lead in the 20th minute.

MK Dons fought back in the second half with a goal from Dean Bowditch, but Dagnall’s second in stoppage time put the tie to bed. Alan Smith’s late dismissal rounded off a miserable afternoon for the home side.

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