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Marcus Rashford played with gusto and he certainly played with Malo Gusto.
The poor Chelsea right-back could not cope with the speed of thought and movement, and accurate delivery, of Aston Villa’s barnstorming substitute.
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The story should really be about the goalscoring Marco Asensio, the ace of brace, but it will inevitably be about Rashford’s two assists.
His loan move to Villa from Manchester United has been one of the stories of the season.
Rashford had to leave United, of course. They wanted him out for tactical and financial reasons, he sensed that and chased a new challenge.
None of this should be taken as criticism of United’s head coach, Ruben Amorim, who wants to play a way that doesn’t suit Rashford and who needs to generate funds for his 3-4-2-1 rebuild. Fair enough.
Rashford’s departure, initially on loan but with a permanent move to Villa or somewhere else inevitable in the summer, suited all parties.
Rashford says he will never fall out of love with football, but he needed to play with a smile on his face again. Villa’s manager, Unai Emery, has done that.
“Support him,” Emery replied on how he is bringing the best out of the 27-year-old.
“Help him try to get confidence with us.”
A happy Rashford is a formidable footballer. He’s always been that way. He’s always needed to feel the belief and support of his manager.
He’s always needed to be liberated in a system that keeps him high up the field, reducing his defensive responsibilities, unleashing him on opposing right-backs like Gusto.
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All defenders hate facing pace, which Rashford has in abundance. He’s made for 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1 like Emery’s.
It wasn’t actually his pace that skewered Chelsea here. He inflicted some of it on Gusto from the moment he came on at half-time.
Villa were trailing 1-0 at the time and Emery was being outwitted by Enzo Maresca.
Villa struggled to get to grips with Chelsea’s formation and movement in the first half: a 4-2-fluid-4. Reece James partnered Moises Caicedo in deep midfield. Cole Palmer, busy but not at his best, and the underwhelming Christopher Nkunku were wide.
Pedro Neto was a false nine, occasionally moving right with Enzo Fernandez breaking into space as for Chelsea’s goal after nine minutes.
Caicedo was too swift and strong for Youri Tielemans in the middle, and he turned and played a long switch to the right. Neto was ready, taking the ball and running at Ian Maatsen.
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Emery had rotated, starting Maatsen ahead of Lucas Digne, who’d had a draining evening with Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah in midweek.
Emery may also have had an eye on Maatsen proving a point against the club that kept sending him out on loan and eventually selling to Villa for £35million last summer. But Digne is a better one-on-one defender and Maatsen’s defensive issues were exposed by Neto.
He accelerated, moved the ball on to his left foot, shaped to go inside Maatsen, who fell for the feint.
Neto sped outside, had a quick look up, checked Fernandez’s run, and picked him out with a driven low ball.
Fernandez, unmarked and close in, had the easiest finish past his compatriot Emi Martinez.
Villa urgently needed more pace to support Ollie Watkins so Emery made his move at the break. Rashford replaced Jacob Ramsey and immediately began running at Gusto.
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The stage was set for a famous half in front of a beseeching, delighting Holte End. Noise and belief rose shortly before the hour.
When Matty Cash crossed – with his left - to the far-post, Rashford was clearly played onside by Fernandez and his cross was turned in by Asensio.
Chelsea did respond briefly, and Palmer had a shot cleared off the line by Ezri Konsa, but the force was with Villa.
Chelsea were fortunate they did not concede a penalty from a Rashford corner when Marc Cucurella clearly pulled over Lamare Bogarde.
The clock showed 88 minutes 52 seconds as Rashford prepared to take another corner on the left in front of a baying Holte End.
He played it short to Tielemans, who touched it back for Rashford to whip it in, slightly angled back towards Asensio.
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The 29-year-old Spaniard met the ball with his left foot, sending it straight at Filip Jorgensen.
It should have been a routine save, but Jorgensen, preferred again to Robert Sanchez, fumbled horribly and the ball fell over the line.
“The keeper position is a delicate one,” Maresca said of the role’s innate vulnerability, “if the keeper makes a mistake it is clear for everyone.”
What is also clear is that Chelsea have spent more than £1bn and don’t have an elite goalkeeper or elite centre-forward.
At the final whistle, their false nine, Neto, sunk to his knees, punching the turf in frustration.
“For me, personally this is the toughest defeat of the season,” Maresca lamented.
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For Emery, who walked down the touchline after the final whistle punching the air, it was deeply satisfying, barring the sad sight of Tyrone Mings limping off with a knee problem.
This was Villa’s first Premier League win in six, lifted them from tenth to seventh, and confirmed the wisdom of their January transfer work.
The sight of a smiling Rashford applauding the Holte End said it all.
