Manchester United loanee Marcus Rashford was brilliant again for Aston Villa, this time as they beat Cardiff City 2-0 on Friday evening in the fifth round of the FA Cup.
Fellow January signing Marco Asensio scored both Villa goals, to take his tally for the club up to four across all competitions.
Three of those four goals have been assisted by Rashford, who was on hand once again to help the Spaniard break the deadlock midway through the second half.
Rashford ➡️ Asensio@AVFCOfficial‘s loanees combine to break the deadlock 🔓#EmiratesFACup pic.twitter.com/k3UQbYUxPN
— Emirates FA Cup (@EmiratesFACup) February 28, 2025
Beyond the assist, Rashford was a threat all night, constantly taking on his man and delivering dangerous balls into the box.
During the 82 minutes he was on the pitch before being replaced by Morgan Rogers, Rashford touched the ball 75 times and found his teammates with 41 of the 48 passes he attempted.
Six of his passes were key passes.
He successfully connected with two of the nine crosses he aimed and one of the two long balls he pinged. Rashford created two big chances.
The 27-year-old fired four shots – three of which were on target while the other didn’t require Cardiff goalkeeper Ethan Horvath to swing into action. Rashford missed two big chances but completed all three dribbles he embarked on.
Rashford was also good defensively, winning four of the eight ground duels he contested. He drew one foul.
(Stats obtained from Sofascore)
After the final whistle, Asensio spoke to the media and waxed lyrical about Rashford and his contributions to the side.
Asensio said, “Marcus is a top player. We are together not so much but I know what he wants to do, where he passes and I am very happy to have Marcus and all of the teammates.”
“We are really happy. It was not an easy game. We knew it was a difficult game. [I’m] very happy for the goals, for the win. we’re in the next round, that’s the most important.”
Asensio added, “I’m very happy with the teammates, with the staff, they give me a lot of confidence, so I try to do my best on the pitch and it’s going well and I want to score more to give more to this team, to this club and this is my objective.”
Marco Asensio is enjoying the partnership he’s forming with Marcus Rashford at @AVFCOfficial 🤝#EmiratesFACup pic.twitter.com/SxYPC2TONX
— Emirates FA Cup (@EmiratesFACup) February 28, 2025
A previous report covered by The Peoples Person relayed that Rashford has decided he wants to make his stay at Villa Park permanent. At current pace, he is well on track to achieve this.
Villa are back in action next week when they take on Club Brugge in the Champions League round of 16.
Featured image Michael Regan 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!
