Manchester United loanee Marcus Rashford came on from the bench and provided two assists as Aston Villa mounted a 2-1 comeback victory over Aston Villa.
Enzo Fernandes gave Chelsea the lead in the first half, tapping in an excellent cross from Pedro Neto.
With Villa trailing, Unai Emery thrust Rashford into the action during the break and the United star did not disappoint.
Just before the hour mark, Rashford collected a ball from Matty Cash and squared it for fellow January signing Marco Asensio, who managed to dig it out from under his feet before prodding it over the line.
Villa continued to push, with Rashford getting into dangerous areas and causing all sorts of havoc. With less than three minutes of regular time left on the clock, Villa were awarded a corner and went short. Rashford expertly picked out an unmarked Asensio. The Spaniard fired a shot, which Chelsea goalkeeper Filip Jörgensen allowed to squirm under his body.
While Asensio will undoubtedly grab the headlines after registering a brace, it was Rashford who provided the spark that jolted Villa into life. He could have had another assist when he slipped in Donyell Malen but the ensuing effort was kept out by Jörgensen.
In addition to his two assists, Rashford touched the ball 27 times and managed to find his teammates with 15 of the 16 passes he attempted. He misplaced just one pass. Three of his passes were key passes.
He embarked on four dribbles, completing two of them. Rashford also fired two shots but they were both blocked.
The Carrington academy graduate created two big chances – for both of Asensio’s goals. He also won two of the four ground duels he delved into.
(Stats obtained from Sofascore)
The performance was certainly Rashford’s best since he left United to join Villa in the January transfer window.
The England international had displayed flashes of his ability in the past few matches but against Chelsea, he was nearly unstoppable at times and will undoubtedly be hoping for a start when Villa return to go away to Crystal Palace on Tuesday.
For United and Ruben Amorim, Rashford’s electric performance might have them wondering whether they could have done with him at Goodison Park earlier today, following the 2-2 draw with Everton.
Featured image Alex Pantling 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!
