BBC Sport pundit wowed by ‘beautiful’ moment in Aston Villa win v Cardiff
Marco Asensio earned plenty of plaudits for his match-winning brace as Aston Villa defeated Cardiff City to reach the FA Cup quarter-finals on Friday.
Unai Emery’s side will be looking to go deep in the FA Cup after their 2-0 victory over Cardiff as the Premier League outfit look to end a 29-year wait for major silverware.
Villa knocked out Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham United on their way to reach the fifth round of the FA Cup, where they were drawn against Cardiff.
Playing at Villa Park, Emery fielded a strong starting lineup featuring Ollie Watkins, Marcus Rashford, and Asensio.
Asensio starred for Aston Villa against Cardiff City
On loan from PSG, Asensio has instantly hit the ground running with his impressive performances in the Villa shirt.
His brace for Villa against Cardiff City on Friday was another instance of him showcasing his excellent ability to produce goals and pose himself as a formidable goalscoring threat to the opposition.
The Spaniard scored his first goal in the 68th minute, drilling the ball into the goal from a Rashford cutback. He then went on to score again in the 80th minute, executing a superb finish to seal the game for Villa.
| Against Team | Goal/Assist |
| vs Tottenham Hotspur (24 minutes) | 0/0 |
| vs Ipswich Town (27 minutes) | 0/0 |
| vs Liverpool (67 minutes) | 0/0 |
| vs Chelsea (90 minutes) | 2/0 |
| vs Crystal Palace (22 minutes) | 0/0 |
| vs Cardiff City (82 minutes) | 2/0 |
BBC Sport pundit Rachel Corsie was in awe of Asensio’s second goal and applauded his impact on the Villa side since his arrival.
She said: “It’s a beautiful finish, he takes it quite quickly.
“Lovely goal and when he came a lot of people probably didn’t pay enough attention because of the chat around Marcus Rashford.
“He’s added goals and it’s something Aston Villa have needed tonight.”
A permanent transfer to Aston Villa for Marco Asensio?
The 29-year-old attacker has been in fine form since his arrival at Aston Villa in the January transfer window, netting four goals in six games, including scoring a winning brace against Chelsea and Cardiff City.
Rashford’s loan acquisition did overshadow Asensio’s arrival but the former Real Madrid player has proven to be a reliable goalscorer and a match-winner for Emery’s side.
Given his impressive performances, Villa might not want to waste any time in making the loan deal permanent.
PSG are keen to offload the attacker in the summer and Villa boss Emery has reportedly the given green light to Asensio’s permanent transfer.
Asensio’s versatility to play anywhere across the attack will be a huge asset for the Spanish boss but he is likely to be utilised behind Watkins, where he is most potent.