Marcus Rashford was Aston Villa’s standout performer throughout last night’s action-packed clash with Paris Saint-Germain.
The Manchester United loanee played 76 minutes and notched an assist at Villa Park as the West Midlands outfit overturned their opponents 3-2 on the night.
PSG’s 3-1 advantage following the first leg meant Villa’s emphatic efforts were ultimately not enough to see them advance to the semi-finals. Still, each player left the pitch at full-time knowing they’d left absolutely everything on it.
One moment during the tie that had the Villa faithful scratching their heads was Unai Emery’s decision to withdraw Rashford for the final 15 minutes at a time when he had been undoubtedly pulling the strings for the hosts.
Clarence Seedorf in disbelief over United’s treatment of Rashford
Rashford was replaced by his compatriot Ollie Watkins for the closing stages of the affair despite overseeing what could easily be considered his most notable performance in a Villa shirt thus far.
According to StatmanDave, the Carrington graduate created more chances (four), completed more dribbles (four), and created more big chances (two) than any player that featured across the 90 minutes. He also assisted Ezri Konsa for Villa’s third of the night in the 57th minute following a scintillating display of footwork and skill to beat his men.
Marcus Rashford's game by numbers vs. PSG:
100% tackles won
11 passes completed
5/9 crosses completed
4/9 dribbles completed
4 chances created
2 big chances created
2 shots on target
1 assistA thorn in PSG's side. 🅰️ pic.twitter.com/udHoAYL6sQ
— Statman Dave (@StatmanDave) April 15, 2025
Nonetheless, Rashford and his teammates will now be putting their full focus on securing a Champions League spot via a top-five finish and reigning victorious in the FA Cup, where they take on Crystal Palace in the semis later this month.
Post-match, Clarence Seedorf showered the forward with praise during his analysis on Prime Video Sport – whilst also berating United for their treatment of their homegrown talent.
“I don’t think anybody needed to see him now how he plays. I mean, Rashford is a great talent! It’s probably more the club has to pull themselves together to understand how to, you know, value these players,” the midfield legend began.
“I’ve been criticising from afar. I mean, if you have somebody like him on the team, how can you not make him feel important enough to make the difference for you?
“Here, he is getting the love, so if Man United wants to bring him back, they will definitely need to make sure he will feel important.”
Yeah, yeah, but we all know Marcus had lost his way at United; appearing uninterested and unenthusiastic at times. May have been temporary, but Seedorf should know you can’t keep selecting a player in that kind of form. Plus there was the off-field antics – has Rashford been hitting the Brummy nightspots? My guess is ‘no’.
The best of Rashford is what Villa are seeing now, and I’d love it if there was some way that player could be turning out for us again. But Seedorf is being disingenuous by making out United sold a Rashford who was in the form he now is.
A ridiculous explanation by Seedorf he’s just another United basher along with all the rest now we’re in the situation we are in and still under part influence of the Glazer family with one still on the board so we’re not completely free from their influence even though Ratcliffe things he and Ineos hold the reins
Aye: if you want a cheap headline, have a pop at United. Good to know so many people are still butt-hurt about the Fergie glory years.