Maybe he has a point to prove, or has had a boost of confidence from Villa’s fans and manager, or maybe Rashford is just playing in a quality, well-oiled side again, but Villa’s new No 9 looked – for 30 minutes at least – back to his best.
FA Cup fourth round: 10 talking points from the weekend’s action George Hirst finds inspiration from his father, Plymouth exploit Arne Slot’s choices and Marcus Rashford shows promise at his new club.
A player who racked up 30 league goal involvements in his last two seasons at Aston Villa is now on five and counting in his last two seasons as a bit-part City player.
The inquest is under way, and while some will point to the disappointing performances of seasoned internationals and inexperienced young players, most of the blame must fall on Slot, particularly the Dutchman’s decision to put Darwin Núñez and a half-fit Curtis Jones as the only established names on Liverpool’s bench.
The 25-year-old was a powerful, destructive force throughout the final cup game at Goodison Park, emphatically converting a penalty for his fourth goal in his past six matches and thwarting the hosts’ hopes of a fightback with a goalline clearance from Iliman Ndiaye’s header.
