Marcus Rashford had a dream at Manchester United, but ultimately felt unhappy. However, during his time at Aston Villa, he is recalling his true identity.
When it comes to FA Cup matches, you won't find many more classic than this one. The inaugural encounter between these teams took place in the fifth round of the FA Cup approximately 137 years ago, in 1888. When the Football League started later that year, it concluded with Preston North End as the champions and Aston Villa as the runners-up.
We might suggest that football has evolved somewhat since that time, yet the trend of top-tier teams facing lower division rivals in the FA Cup has been firmly rooted. The larger team dominates while their less favored opponents put forth a valiant effort. That's precisely what we have here.
Despite all their territory and peril, Villa battled to deliver the decisive strike for nearly an hour. The prime opportunity indeed went to Preston, as Stefan Thordarson failed to direct his header on goal while Emi Martinez was caught off guard after attempting to punch away a cross from Robbie Brady.
These are the types of chances a team like North End needs to capitalize on in matches like these to surpass teams of greater quality – and once Villa got into their rhythm, they continued like an unstoppable cart.
Marcus Rashford, positioned as a centre-forward, could have capitalized better on a one-on-one with Preston goalkeeper David Cornell, but didn’t falter when Lucas Digne passed it across the box for him to score his first Aston Villa goal soon after.
The Manchester United loan player didn't take long to score his second, confidently converting from the penalty spot after a flustered Preston committed a careless foul.
A seasoned England international who has netted more than 100 goals, scoring two against lower-division rivals, typically wouldn’t make the news headlines. It ought to be so normal that it goes completely unnoticed.
However, this is Marcus Rashford we’re discussing, a player whose difficulties at Old Trafford are so established and thoroughly chronicled that they hardly need reiteration.
Unwelcome. Accused of lacking the desire – a claim he consistently refuted. Dispatched. A player risking the wastage of the incredible potential he displayed after his teenage rise to fame.
In that scenario – and occurring right after beginning both of Thomas Tuchel’s initial matches as England manager after a year away from the international scene – those initial goals for his new team hold even greater importance than leading Villa towards Wembley for an FA Cup semi-final, supported by an additional goal from Jacob Ramsey.
Rashford has already experienced an initial setback in his resurgence this season, netting three goals during Ruben Amorim’s opening two matches as manager at United, sparking optimism that the forward could rejuvenate his career at the club. That quickly led to further conflict as he faced off against the Portuguese, just like he did with Erik ten Hag.
Therefore, he will be acutely conscious of the necessity to maintain progress, now that he has ultimately admitted to himself that he would be better off pursuing his own path.
Unai Emery initially chose to gradually integrate Rashford into the Villa squad, but his impressive performances and several valuable assists had already established him as a key player prior to his brace at Deepdale.
What he has achieved in his two months in claret has enabled him to hear the crowd chant his name once more.
The big smile on his face after the match indicated that Rashford is no longer in distress. His revolution might have merely started.
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