Marcus Rashford, on loan from Manchester United, excelled once more for Aston Villa, which defeated Cardiff City 2-0 on Friday night in the FA Cup’s fifth round.

January signing with a fellow Both of Villa’s goals were scored by Marco Asensio, who now has four goals for the team overall.

Rashford has contributed to three of those four goals, and he was on hand once more to help the Spaniard break the tie halfway through the second half.

In addition to providing the assist, Rashford was a menace all evening, attacking his man and putting dangerous balls into the area.

Rashford touched the ball 75 times in his 82 minutes on the field before Morgan Rogers took his place. Of the 48 passes he attempted, 41 were completed by his teammates.

He made vital passes six times.

Two of the nine crosses he aimed at and one of the two long balls he pinged found their way in. Rashford produced two excellent opportunities.

Three of the 27-year-old’s four shots were on goal, and the fourth didn’t need Cardiff goalie Ethan Horvath to intervene. Rashford finished all three of his dribbles but missed two excellent opportunities.

Rashford won four of the eight ground duels he participated in, demonstrating his strong defensive play. He received one foul.

Asensio addressed the media following the final whistle and waxed poetic about Rashford and his services to the team.

“Marcus is a top player,” Asensio stated. Although we don’t spend a lot of time together, I am glad to have Marcus and all of the teammates since I know what he wants to do and where he passes.

We’re overjoyed. The game was not simple. We were aware that the game was challenging. [I’m] thrilled about the goals and the victory. The most crucial thing is that we are in the next round.

“I try to do my best on the field and it’s going well, and I want to score more to give more to this team, to this club, and this is my objective,” Asensio continued. “I’m very happy with the teammates and the staff, they give me a lot of confidence.”