Man United loanee Marcus Rashford strikes again as Aston Villa ease past Brighton & Hove Albion | OneFootball

Manchester United loanee Marcus Rashford scored his first Premier League goal for Aston Villa as they beat Brighton and Hove Albion 3-0 at the Amex.

The two sides were level at half-time, but Rashford needed just six minutes after the interval to break the deadlock and put Villa ahead.

The visitors cleared Brighton’s corner, prompting Rashford to get on his bike. Morgan Rogers found him with a sumptuous over-the-top ball, which Rashford expertly controlled before producing a brilliant finish.

The United loanee ran off to celebrate in front of the Villa fans.

Fellow January signings Marco Asensio and Donyell Malen sealed the victory for Villa, completing the rout.

Rashford scored his first goals for Villa over the weekend, netting twice in their victory over Preston North End to secure a spot in the FA Cup semifinals. He has now followed that up with another brilliant strike against Brighton.

On yet another occasion, Unai Emery benched Ollie Watkins in favour of deploying Rashford in the striker role and the decision paid dividends.

During the 65 minutes he was on the pitch before Watkins replaced him, Rashford fired two shots – the goal and another which was off target and didn’t really trouble Bart Verbruggen.

The 27-year-old touched the ball 13 times and found his teammates with all nine passes that he attempted.

Rashford contested just two ground duels and lost both. He made one interception.

(Stats obtained from Sofascore)

The Carrington academy graduate wasn’t heavily involved in the game, but when it counted, he delivered and gave Villa a well-deserved lead.

The fact that he has led the line in Villa’s last two games could indicate that Emery plans to use him in that role long-term. It’s great to see him back on the scoresheet, and hopefully, Rashford can maintain his excellent form for the remainder of the season.

Villa return to action on Saturday when they host Nottingham Forest.

Featured image Warren Little via Getty Images

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