Aston Villa Secures 3-0 Victory Against Brighton With Rashford's First Goal

Add as a preferred source on Google

Marcus Rashford scored his first Premier League goal for Aston Villa, helping them secure a 3-0 victory over Brighton at the Amex Stadium. The Manchester United loanee opened the scoring early in the second half with a swift counter-attack. Marco Asensio added another goal 12 minutes before the end, and Donyell Malen sealed the win in stoppage time. This victory moved Villa to seventh place, overtaking Brighton, who are now eighth.

Despite the scoreline, Villa had some challenging moments during the match. They have now achieved consecutive away wins in the Premier League for the first time since August. Before this, they had only one win in nine away games, drawing one and losing seven. This result marks their most significant away victory since defeating Sheffield United 5-0 in February 2024.

Rashford's goal against Brighton was his fifth in the league against them. He has scored more only against Leicester City (eight), Arsenal (six), and Tottenham (six). Asensio's goal brought his tally to eight goals across all competitions for Villa. Since joining, he has outscored any other Premier League player with eight goals in total.

The match began with Rashford missing a chance by shooting wide, while Matty Cash also missed with a half-volley. Brighton's Adingra responded by narrowly missing the target as well. Kaoru Mitoma's penalty appeal was dismissed after a clash with Cash, and Jacob Ramsey's claims for a foul by Adam Hinshelwood were also ignored.

Yasin Ayari hit the post with a superb free-kick from 20 yards just before halftime. Rashford broke through after 51 minutes by latching onto Morgan Rogers' long pass and shooting past Bart Verbruggen. Brighton thought they had equalised through Adingra, but referee Attwell disallowed it for handball by Mitoma after reviewing it on the monitor.

Their disappointment increased when Cash set up Asensio in the penalty area, who calmly placed his shot into the bottom-right corner. In injury time, Malen scored his first goal for Villa with a precise strike into the bottom-left corner.

This match highlighted Aston Villa's improving form on their travels as they continue to climb up the Premier League table. The team's ability to capitalise on key moments proved crucial in securing this important win over Brighton.