By the time the final whistle blew at Villa Park, one player had stolen the show—not the goalscorer, but the architect. And as Aston Villa celebrated a dramatic 2-1 comeback win over Chelsea, a certain Manchester United loanee left everyone—especially his parent club—wondering what might have been.
Trailing 1-0 at halftime, Aston Villa manager Unai Emery turned to Marcus Rashford. The England international, on loan from Manchester United, entered the fray and wasted no time leaving his mark.
Villa’s equalizer came just before the hour mark. Receiving a pass from Matty Cash, Rashford darted into space before squaring the ball to fellow January arrival Marco Asensio. With a quick shuffle of his feet, the Spaniard prodded the ball past Filip Jorgensen. But the English international wasn’t done.
As the clock ticked toward the 90th minute, Villa won a corner and opted to go short. Rashford found himself in possession once more, this time delivering a perfectly weighted ball to the unmarked Asensio, who fired a shot that squirmed through Jorgensen’s grasp to complete the turnaround.
Rashford could have had a hat-trick of assists, too, slipping in Donyell Malen late on, only for Jorgensen to deny the Dutch forward. Yet, even without a third, the 27-year-old’s impact was undeniable: 27 touches, 15 of 16 passes completed (three of which were key passes), and two assists—his best performance since leaving Manchester United on loan.
Night of firsts for Rashford
Rashford’s two assists marked the first time since October 2020 that he had registered multiple assists in a single Premier League match. Even more impressively, it was the first time he’d ever done so after coming off the bench, as per Sofascore.
But the significance of Rashford’s performance stretched beyond Villa Park. Over at Goodison Park, Manchester United had just drawn 2-2 with Everton—another frustrating result in a season marred by inconsistency. As news of Rashford’s heroics filtered through, one statistic was bound to sting: He had just recorded more Premier League assists in 45 minutes than any available United winger all season.
⚠️ | QUICK STAT Marcus Rashford has today provided two assists in a single Premier League match for the first time since 17 October 2020. 🅰️🅰️ It's also the first time ever he has done it in the Premier League after coming off the bench. 💪 #AVLCHE
Rashford’s feat adds to United’s winger woes
As noted by Statman Dave, Rashford’s two-assist haul eclipsed the combined tally of United’s remaining forward options. With the Englishman loaned out in January, Ruben Amorim was left with just Alejandro Garnacho and Amad Diallo as his primary wingers. In fact, the latter accumulated six assists in the English top division.
Marcus Rashford assisted more PL goals today (2) than any available Manchester United winger has all season. Was never the issue. 🅰️🅰️
However, his recent ankle injury is expected to sideline him for the remainder of the campaign. That, in turn, leaves the Argentine star—who has managed only one Premier League assist this season—as the Red Devils’ sole natural wide player.
Even when we combine the tally of other attacking-minded players like Mainoo, and Hojlund over the last 19 games, it falls short of Rashford’s single-game performance. These statistics paint a sobering picture for a club aiming to secure a top-four finish, highlighting the struggles in their attacking output.
