Marcus Rashford having a ball as he scores first goals for Villa in FA Cup win
Marcus Rashford scored his first goals for Aston Villa to help his new team beat second-tier Preston 3-0 on Sunday and reach the FA Cup semifinals for the first time since 2015.
Rashford has reignited his career at Villa since joining on loan from Manchester United on Feb. 2 and has just got back in the England squad, starting the recent World Cup qualifiers against Albania and Latvia.
The striker tapped home Lucas Digne’s cross for the opener at Deepdale in the 58th minute and then converted a penalty in the 63rd after Morgan Rogers was fouled. Jacob Ramsey wrapped up a comfortable victory for Villa in the 71st.
“It’s a great feeling,” Rashford said. “I feel like I’ve been getting fitter and playing better football since I’ve been here.
“I missed a lot of football before joining up with (Villa). My body feels good and I’m enjoying my football for now.”
Villa hasn’t won a trophy since capturing the English League Cup in 1996 but has a great chance in the FA Cup this season, with many of the country’s top teams already eliminated.
Crystal Palace and Nottingham Forest advanced on Saturday, while Manchester City plays away against Bournemouth in the remaining quarterfinal match later Sunday.
In the draw for the semifinals, Palace was paired with Villa while Forest takes on the winner of the Bournemouth-Man City match.
If City loses, Villa will likely be the favorite given the team is back in the big time under Spanish manager Unai Emery, even reaching the Champions League quarterfinals this season.
Villa has won the FA Cup seven times, but not since 1957. In the 2015 final, Villa lost 4-0 to Arsenal.
Preston, the only non-Premier League team in the last eight, was playing its first FA Cup quarterfinal match since the 1965-66 season.
The semifinals will be played at Wembley Stadium.
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Steve Douglas is at https://twitter.com/sdouglas80
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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer