Manchester United loanee Marcus Rashford couldn’t inspire Aston Villa, as they suffered a 3-1 defeat to Paris Saint-Germain in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final tie.
In the 35th minute, Villa took the lead against the run of play courtesy of in-form midfielder Morgan Rogers.
John McGinn won the ball off Nuno Mendes near the halfway line and ran up the pitch before finding Rashford with a good pass. Rashford played in Youri Tielemans in the inside-left channel, inviting the Belgian to deliver a superb low-cross into Rogers at the far post.
However, Villa’s lead only lasted for four minutes as Desire Doue produced a sensational curling effort that beat Emi Martinez and struck the underside of the bar before heading into the back of the net.
PSG took control of the game shortly after the break via Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, who left Axel Disasi on the floor and fired a ferocious shot into the roof of the net.
Mendes added a third in stoppage time, putting PSG one step closer to the semi-finals of the Champions League.
Once again, Unai Emery opted to have Rashford lead the line for Villa. While this tactic has been effective in recent matches, it didn’t yield the same results on Wednesday night in the French capital.
Rashford was not as threatening in front of goal as he has been since joining Villa on loan, with his most notable contributions coming as the visitors’ outlet during their attempts to counter-attack.
The Carrington academy graduate was on the pitch for 79 minutes before he was taken off and replaced by Ollie Watkins.
Rashford failed to register a shot, whether on target or off target. He completed just one of the three dribbles he embarked on.
The 27-year-old touched the ball 29 times and successfully found his Villa teammates with 17 of the 23 passes he attempted (74% pass accuracy).
He won only one of the three ground duels he engaged in and was outmatched in the single aerial challenge he contested.
Rashford did not put in a tackle or make an interception. He lost possession eight times.
(Stats obtained from Sofascore)
While his performance wasn’t a disaster, like many of the Villa players, he will likely feel that he could have contributed a bit more.
Mendes’ late goal left Villa with a mountain to climb in the return leg, but the tie is far from over.
Featured image Michael Steele via Getty Images
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Derick Kinoti
Derick Kinoti is a football writer at The Peoples Person who has covered Manchester United and the game extensively for many years. He is a keen analyst with expertise in SEO and journalism standards. Derick is convinced Wayne Rooney is the true GOAT and won’t hear otherwise!
