Marcus Rashford opened his Aston Villa account in style, netting twice to help his side secure a 3-0 victory over Preston North End on Sunday, sealing a spot in the FA Cup semifinals for the first time in nearly a decade.
Since making a loan switch from Manchester United on February 2, Rashford has rediscovered his form at Villa, earning a recall to the England squad and featuring in recent World Cup qualifiers against Albania and Latvia.
The forward broke the deadlock in the 58th minute at Deepdale, steering in Lucas Digne’s cross, before coolly dispatching a penalty five minutes later after Morgan Rogers was brought down in the box.
Jacob Ramsey added the finishing touch in the 71st minute, ensuring a comfortable passage to the next round.
Villa, without silverware since lifting the League Cup in 1996, now finds itself in a strong position in this season’s FA Cup, with many of the traditional powerhouses already eliminated.
Crystal Palace and Nottingham Forest booked their places in the semifinals on Saturday, while Manchester City’s clash with Bournemouth later on Sunday would determine the last team in the final four.
Should City be knocked out, Villa could emerge as the frontrunner for the title, having enjoyed a resurgence under Spanish manager Unai Emery, which has also propelled them to the Champions League quarterfinals.
Preston, the only non-Premier League side in the last eight, was making a rare quarterfinal appearance, their first since the 1965-66 season.
However, their dream run came to an end against a Villa side showing its intent to end a decades-long trophy drought.
