Manchester United 1-0 Aston Villa: 5 talking points
Aston Villa’s relegation to the Championship was confirmed as they fell to a 1-0 defeat to Manchester United at Old Trafford on Saturday. Marcus Rashford’s 33rd minute goal was the difference between the two sides as he evaded his marker Ciaran Clark to slot home an Antonio Valencia cross following a great ball by Wayne Rooney.
We look at the 5 talking points of a game that officially sent Aston Villa crashing out of England’s top-tier for the first time in the Premier League era:
#1 Marcus Rashford pops up yet again
He derailed Arsenal’s title challenge on his league debut, scored on his Manchester Derby debut, sent West Ham out of the FA Cup and he now ensured Aston Villa’s relegation. All this in the space of 50 days. What a dream debut season it is turning out to be for 18-year old academy graduate Marcus Rashford. His pace and positioning inside the box have been two of his best attributes since joining the first team. He showed what he was made of once again as he pulled away from his marker Ciaran Clark to freely side-foot the eventual winner from a low Antonio Valencia ball from the right. The presence of mind to stop his run and put himself in a position to deal with Valencia’s cross suggests that he is a bright prospect for Manchester United.