Marcus Rashford had come from Wembley and now he is heading back there. His renaissance had included a pair of outings for England, Thomas Tuchel ending his international exile, and now he has powered Aston Villa to the national stadium. An FA Cup semi-final against Crystal Palace beckons for a club who have not won the competition since 1957. Rashford’s time at Villa Park may only last a few months, and no decision has been made whether to activate the £40m clause to sign him permanently, but it has the potential to prove historic.
For him, it could bring the rare double, joining Olivier Giroud and Brian Talbot among those to win the FA Cup in successive seasons with different clubs. For now, he has scored in a quarter-final win in consecutive campaigns. For Unai Emery, whose prowess in knockout competitions has tended to be demonstrated on European stages, it might make him Villa’s first trophy-winning manager since Brian Little in 1996. For now, he has ended the Championship’s representation in the FA Cup and extended still longer waits: Preston still have not reached a semi-final since 1966 or won major silverware since 1938. Rashford’s brace and a fine Jacob Ramsey goal ensured that remains the case.
But Rashford’s own drought had started to feel lengthy. Even as a revival brought him roles in Villa goals, he had not scored any. Even with an England recall, there was no strike to cap his journey from his form of personal purgatory at Manchester United. He was largely anonymous in attack in the first half at Deepdale – leading the line while Ollie Watkins began on the bench – but altogether deadlier in the second. He has tended to operate as a winger for Villa but Emery put him in a position to score more. He explained: “He's playing in the idea, in the plan we did with him. We decided to play in the standing 11 as a striker to try to get from him his quality, his power.”
And goals can be a symbol of that. Emery added: “He made one step forward, feeling comfortable, ...
