Manchester United loanee Marcus Rashford struggled to make his mark as Aston Villa claimed a significant first-leg advantage over Club Brugge in their Champions League round of 16 tie.
Villa took an early lead through Leon Bailey, who produced a lovely finish to swipe the ball into the bottom corner after Tyrone Mings nodded it into his path.
Brugge didn’t trail for too long, as they restored parity soon after through Maxim De Cuyper. The left-back got into an inside position and got on the end of a good pass from Christos Tzolis to fire into the bottom corner.
The hosts were in control for large parts of the game and fashioned the better chances but they were unable to break down Villa’s stubborn defence. In the 64th minute, Unai Emery looked to his bench and made a triple change, including taking off Rashford and replacing him with Marco Asensio.
Against the run of play, Villa went ahead after Brandon Mechele sent Morgan Rogers’ cross into the back of his own net. Asensio doubled his side’s advantage from the penalty spot soon after.
Villa have one foot into the quarter-final ahead of the second leg of the tie, which will be played in Birmingham next week.
Rashford was named in the starting XI, primarily playing in his favoured left side of the attacking line. Barring a shot in the first half that was kept out by Brugge goalkeeper Simon Mignolet, the United loanee did not pose too much threat.
In comparison to how electric he has been since departing Old Trafford in January, his performance at Jan Breydel Stadium was muted.
During the time he was on the pitch, Rashford touched the ball 35 times and found his teammates with 23 of the 27 passes he attempted.
He tried to connect with one cross and one long ball. The forward failed to find his target with the cross but his long ball was successful.
Rashford embarked on just two dribbles, completing one. He also won only one of the four ground duels he contested and was beaten to the single aerial challenge he contested.
He lost possession of the ball eight times and failed to register a tackle or interception.
(Stats obtained from Sofascore)
Right now, Rashford appears most effective as an impact sub, likely still working his way back to full sharpness after his spell on the sidelines at United.
Featured image Mike Hewitt 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!
