Aston Villa’s emphatic 7-0 hammering of Sunderland in the League Cup was overshadowed by a major administrative blunder that might cost them dearly.

Aston Villa is under investigation for an alleged breach of competition rules due to Noelle Maritz‘s appearances for Arsenal earlier in the tournament after the defender was brought on at half-time with the score 3-0.

Maritz joined Villa from the Gunners in January. Her unexpected introduction has cast a shadow over Villa’s comfortable Group A victory and quarter-final qualification, placing their future in the competition in doubt.

“As a club,” admitted a remorseful Villa boss Carla Ward, “we understand there has been a horrible mistake, quite honestly, and there has been some internal conversations and investigations on how this has happened.

“We have to take a collective responsibility on what is a horrible moment and we have to ensure we get the right processes in place that this doesn’t happen again.”

The Football Association has confirmed the matter will be heard by an independent tribunal, raising the possibility of Villa being disqualified from the competition. Such an outcome would leave Sunderland celebrating an unlikely top-spot finish and a quarter-final berth.

The coming days will determine whether Villa’s cup dreams survive their administrative oversight.