Rashford’s renaissance at Aston Villa has been slow and steady under the shrewd guidance of manager Unai Emery, as he rebuilt the forward’s confidence and self-belief after being exiled under Ruben Amorim at Manchester United.
After winning an England recall, Rashford rediscovered his goalscoring touch with a double at Deepdale, and his increasing self-belief was on show again at The Amex Stadium.
The 27-year-old showed high-quality touches in the first half, when he troubled the Brighton defence from wide positions – drawing regular applause and encouragement from Emery on the sidelines.
Emery is renowned for his ability to improve players, restoring them when confidence is lost – and Rashford showed he is doing it again, demonstrating he still possesses class with the manner in which he broke the deadlock in a tight encounter.
Villa caught Brighton from their own corner, and the finish never looked in doubt as Rashford raced from his own half, with defenders in vain chase, before lifting the ball coolly over Verbruggen as he came out.
He received a standing ovation from the travelling Villa fans when removed after 65 minutes, taking another step on his road to footballing recovery away from Old Trafford.
It was also a night when Emery’s changes did the trick, with substitutes Asensio and Malen, a £19m January signing from Borussia Dortmund, also getting on the scoresheet.
