Rashford seizes his chance. Now to do it again. And again.

Plus Slot, Brady, Millwall, VAR, Eustace and more

And now every game. That has to be the approach Marcus Rashford takes to this wonderful opportunity handed him by Unai Emery at Aston Villa. Rashford seized the 30 minutes (including injury time) when coming off the bench against Tottenham Hotspur. He looked fitter than reported. He was heavily involved, pressing and passing. He was a threat, and will be even more so when Ollie Watkins is fit and Rashford can attack more off the left. Lucas Digne’s love of getting forward from left-back will also help Rashford, who is far more effective playing higher up the field, rather than building from deep.

Marcus Rashford. Photo: Marc Atkins - AVFC/Aston Villa FC via Getty Images.

Rashford is also at his best when feeling surrounded by support. It’s not about proving Manchester United wrong (and let’s remember that this was a situation that Ruben Amorim inherited and a parting was best for all parties). It’s about Rashford doing justice to his undoubted talent. Emery is demanding and Rashford has to ensure yesterday’s cameo is sustained. Villa fans have given him the ecstatic welcome, Emery has given him the platform, and now it’s down to Rashford.

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Arne Slot’s team-sheet did Miron Muslic’s team-talk for him. It wasn’t so much the 10 changes to Liverpool’s starting XI that was disrespectful to Plymouth Argyle but the bench. The A-listers were left at home. Slot naively believed his B team could beat a proud EFL club with an ambitious new head coach, a reinforced defence and an impassioned support.

Slot walked into an ambush at Home Park and didn’t have the cavalry to rescue him. He’s filling some big boots at Liverpool, and until yesterday had not put a foot wrong as Jurgen Klopp’s successor. The sole positives are that Liverpool get a free weekend before their away game in the Champions League round of 16; that Slot will have a better view of Harvey Elliott and Federico Chiesa after they failed to seize their opportunities and that Joe Gomez is too injury-prone; and that he and Richard Hughes will have to focus on a centre-back, left-back, a centre-forward as well as another high-quality midfielder in the summer.

Victory for Plymouth was a victory for their recruitment, a victory for players like Nikola Katic whose career drifted after a bad ACL, and who gave everything, even a tooth, to hold out against Liverpool. It was also a victory for the pyramid, and a reminder to the elite in the broader dispute over distribution of financial revenue. Show them proper respect. At least Drake was shown respect in Plymouth if not New Orleans. Super bowls was his forte.

Drake in Plymouth.

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The level of TV analysis from ex-pros like Gary Neville, Jamie Carragher, Roy Keane and Alan Shearer is very good, especially Neville. But listening to the former quarterback Tom Brady on Fox detail his “super powers”, and how it fitted into the team’s complicated game-plans, was remarkable. A college background helped in absorbing information, processing and articulating it. So did a strong personality’s willingness to acknowledge, praise and analyse his own abilities. If a former Premier League player had spoken of their powers like Brady did they would have been ridiculed for a lack of modesty. Actually, as Brady showed, that attitude simply inhibits balanced analysis. The detail that Brady went into about himself and dovetailing with team-mates was fascinating. English football coverage is excellent but could still learn from the Super Bowl.

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An “appalled” Millwall condemned those of their fans who embarrassed the club at Elland Road with tragedy chanting about the two Leeds United fans killed in Istanbul in 2000. These are fans who went to a match, pursuing their passion for their team, and never came home. That should horrify all fans. It could be you. For some Millwall dinosaurs to celebrate it is beyond comprehension. Tribalism is no excuse. The scourge of tragedy chanting, wherever and about whoever, needs constant challenging and punishing.

As well as further damage to the reputation of a club, the chants inevitably and rightly dominated the headlines and narrative of the day. Millwall played well, Femi Azeez was clinical, and they deservedly won. But lost more friends.

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Cole Palmer is a committed team player who gives everything for Chelsea but he could be forgiven deepening frustration for not having an elite centre-forward to work off and feed. Christopher Nkunku dropped deep into Palmer’s realm in the FA Cup loss to Brighton & Hove Albion. Nicolas Jackson is still young, 23, still improving but hasn’t scored in nine games. Palmer deserves better around him.

Cole Palmer.

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Joy or justice? VAR’s long weekend off in the FA Cup fourth round inevitably brought the debate about technology’s place in a fast-flowing, emotional game into sharper focus. It allowed goals to be celebrated more spontaneously by players and fans, not worrying about any review pending. It also meant that clear and obvious errors were not addressed and redressed.

There were at least four incidents that would have had different outcomes had VAR been available. Kaoru Mitoma’s winner for Brighton against Chelsea would have been chalked off for a Tariq Lamptey handball. Blackburn Rovers’ Dominic Hyam looked onside when heading in against Wolves but ruled offside. Orient’s Sonny Perkins fouled Manchester City’s Nico Gonzalez in the move that led to Jamie Donley’s long-range strike that forced the own goal. And how far was Harry Maguire offside in heading in Manchester United’s winner against Leicester City? Almost a yard.

And was Joe Willock’s shot really fully over the line in Newcastle’s win at Birmingham City? It was impossible to see but the assistant was convinced. Goal-line technology is allowed in the fourth round but they don’t have it at St Andrew’s.

The joy-versus-justice debate is slightly irrelevant in a way as VAR is here to stay. It is simply about improving the standards of application, and the Premier League argues that mistakes are fewer (13 compared to 20 this time last season). It is about treating fans in the stadium with more respect, and it’s welcome news that the Premier League is lobbying IFAB for audio between the referee and VAR to be played live into the stadium.

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Derby County’s approach to Blackburn Rovers for their head coach, John Eustace, is a compliment to the work he’s been doing at Ewood Park but really disrespectful timing on the eve of a big game.

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I remember when Barnet got promoted into the Football League for the first time in 1991, and Barry Fry didn’t hold back after their opening-day 7-4 thrashing by Crewe Alexandra when addressing a group of us at Underhill afterwards. “The circus was in town today and we were the clowns,” Fry blasted, blowing his big top. Not for long. Barnet settled into the fourth tier and got into the play-offs (losing slightly unfortunately to Blackpool).

The number of sides promoted from the fifth tier, now the National League, into what is now League Two was increased to two in 2003. The National League currently campaigns for three promotion places to reflect sporting balance. It’s hard to argue. Clubs go up and thrive. Luton, Wrexham, Stockport, Notts County, the list goes on. Even Barnet after the clownish start. Even though they fell back down, Barnet are now leading the National League.

The EFL is considering whether to put the “3UP” plan to the vote at its AGM this summer. Those clubs fearing the drop, and supposedly more like to vote against, should look at the threat as an opportunity for a re-set - and with more chance of returning. 3UP is fair.

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Marco Silva once managed five wins on the spin with Estoril, helping build his name and reputation in his first coaching job and getting him the Sporting post. The young Scottish head coach, Ian Cathro, has just matched that five in a row. EFL clubs will surely look at him.

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Enjoy the week, Henry.