Duran forgotten, backheels & Olé's - Marcus Rashford and Marco Asensio's dazzling Villa debuts
It was something of a 'pinch me' moment to see Marcus Rashford and Marco Asensio rubbing their hands in anticipation before entering the action as Aston Villa players on Sunday night.
Their introduction came moments after Morgan Rogers doubled Villa’s lead against Tottenham Hotspur in the fourth round of the FA Cup. Now two wins away from Wembley for the first time in a decade and watching stars like Rashford and Asensio flourish in their cameos has certainly whetted the appetite of Villa fans.
What can Villa achieve this season? A European finish and a trophy would be a remarkable campaign for Unai Emery’s side, who have also already gone deep into the Champions League. Without hesitation, Rashford laid out his ambition to actually win the thing during his first interview as a Villa player, and while that might seem a step too far, there’s no doubting that his and Asensio’s arrivals have taken the level of the squad up a notch. The same can be said for the winning mentality in the dressing room.
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Morgan Rogers and Jacob Ramsey spoke well about competition for places after full-time. Rather than feel deflated about the possibility of playing less minutes, they know it'll make them better players in the long run. Talking of long runs, it was Rogers’ powerful drive which allowed Ramsey to find space off the left and open the scoring against Spurs inside the first minute of the tie.
Ramsey could have scored a hat-trick on another night, while Rogers grabbed a goal on top of his impressive assist when he scored Villa’s second just after the hour mark. Donyell Malen pulled the ball back across the box and Rogers fired in as Spurs failed to clear the danger.
Leon Bailey, who started off the right, played some of his best football and looked up for the fight to keep his place. All this while Ollie Watkins was out injured, Emery has incredible options in attacking areas.
We can’t forget that Villa have also just raised £65m by selling one of the most exciting young strikers around in Jhon Duran. The Colombia international opted to leave for Saudi Arabia, but the Villa Park faithful have moved on quickly.
‘Looks good, looks good, looks fine, looks fine, Marcus Rashford’s on my mind and he’s Villa’s number nine’, the Holte End chanted not long after the forward came on. Duran scored 12 goals in only seven starts in all competitions, so they will need replacing, but on the small sample size we have after Sunday, Villa looked a real threat.
Granted, Spurs have plenty of injuries at the back, but Villa could’ve scored four or five. On that, Villa were without a recognised centre-back for most of the game themselves and only gave up one big chance after Ezri Konsa came off injured in the 26th minute.
Lamare Bogarde was excellent alongside Boubacar Kamara, while Andres Garcia - who made his full home debut - didn’t put a foot wrong himself. Bogarde is a versatile defender, clearly capable of playing at centre-back, but has played his best football in holding midfield in recent years. At just 21 years of age, he has shown signs that he can grow into a very useful member of Emery’s first-team.
Back to Rashford and Asensio - they provided the stardust to what was a pretty complete 90 minute performance. Emi Martinez would have been gutted to concede late on, but getting through the tie is what matters. With Arsenal, Liverpool and Chelsea all out of the competition, Villa will fancy themselves against any side at home or at Wembley.
With three more games to come at home, Villa can now build more confidence ahead of the final three months of the campaign.
It took Rashford and Asensio just 60 seconds to get the Villa Park crowd off their feet before the Olé's came out as Spurs players helplessly chased after the ball. Rashford’s first touch was to climb over Kevin Danso and bring the ball down with a header, which fell to Asensio, who performed a roulette to spin out of danger.
Soon after, the Spaniard plucked the ball out of the sky and back-heeled it to Rogers, who combined with his new teammate before firing the ball into the side-netting. Four minutes after Asensio’s brilliance, Rashford squared Pedro Porro up, slipped the ball through his legs and collected it on the other side before appearing to be fouled when entering the box.
