Video: Aston Villa’s new duo Rashford and Asensio shine with goals and assists against Chelsea

Aston Villa hosted Chelsea on Matchday 26 of the 2024-25 Premier League season. Despite struggling in the first half, new winter signings Marco Asensio and Marcus Rashford turned the game around with crucial goals and assists, helping the home side secure a 2-1 comeback victory.

Chelsea took the lead in the 9th minute when Pedro Neto delivered an accurate cross to Enzo Fernandez, who easily slotted the ball into the net. With Villa trailing, coach Unai Emery made a key substitution at the start of the second half, bringing on Rashford, who proved to be pivotal in the turnaround.

In the 57th minute, Rashford controlled a cross from Matty Cash and laid the ball off to Asensio, who fired home to level the score at 1-1. The equalizer sparked Villa’s momentum, and they pushed on for more.

Then, in the 89th minute, Rashford played a short corner to Youri Tielemans, who returned the ball with a quick one-two. Rashford’s pinpoint cross allowed Asensio to complete the comeback with a well-taken volley, sealing a 2-1 victory for Villa.

With this win, Aston Villa’s new duo of Marco Asensio and Marcus Rashford both made their mark, each contributing a brace—Asensio with two goals and Rashford with two assists. The victory propelled Villa up to 7th place in the Premier League standings.

The resurgence of Asensio and Rashford at Villa

Both Rashford and Asensio have faced challenges in recent years to reach their best form at Manchester United and Real Madrid/PSG respectively, but at Aston Villa, they seem to have found their footing.

For Asensio, this marked his first goal contributions since November 9, 2024, during his time at PSG when he recorded two assists against Angers. It was also the first time since 2021 that he scored twice in a league game.

For Rashford, the moment was significant as he scored twice for the first time since 2020, highlighting his importance after being dropped 11 times at Manchester United under Ruben Amorim.