Marcus Rashford broke his four-month scoring drought to send Aston Villa into the FA Cup semi-finals with victory over Preston at Deepdale.

The on-loan forward's last goals came for Manchester United against Everton in December.

But after a few wasted opportunities against the competition's last remaining Championship outfit, Rashford finally found the target when he tapped home Lucas Digne's 58th-minute cutback.

Five minutes later Rashford kept his nerve to send David Cornell the wrong way with his penalty after Morgan Rogers had been fouled by Andrew Hughes.

Rashford's first goals since his double against Everton on 1 December ensured Villa retain hopes of winning the FA Cup for the first time since 1957, if they can get past Crystal Palace in the semi-finals.

Preston battled hard but a clear gulf in class was only underlined by the absence through injury of first-choice goalkeeper Freddie Woodman and on-loan defender Kaine Kasler-Hayden, who was unable to play against his parent club.

Once in front, Villa tightened their grip and Jacob Ramsey smashed in a third from the edge of the area 19 minutes from time, with Digne again the provider as Villa reached the last four for the first time in a decade.

This was a very big day for Rashford, who arrived at Villa Park in February with a storied past but so much to prove.

For, while Villa may not have won the FA Cup for nearly 70 years, he has managed it twice, including last season – and lost a couple of finals – with Manchester United.

There is no doubt Rashford has looked a different, more enthused and engaged player since starting to work with Unai Emery, his return to the England fold alone proves that.

Yet that elusive first goal had not come in his previous nine appearances for Villa, which gave his many critics the ammunition to back up their argument Rashford's best days are behind him.

For 14 games up to kick-off, he had drawn a blank, in the red of United, the claret and blue of Villa and white of England. His last goals, evidently, came before Ruben Amorim decided he was better off without the 27-year-old.

Emery is no fool. The idea a man with his reputation, whose side are gearing up to face Paris St-Germain in the Champions League and retain hope of qualifying for next season's competition through their Premier League position, would stick with a player on reputation alone is laughable.

The Villa boss gave Rashford free-kick duties at Deepdale. His first effort went straight to Cornell. The second, from over 30 yards, didn't look like threatening even before it struck a team-mate and bounced tamely wide.

In the opening stages of the second period, as Villa broke dangerously following a rare spell of Preston pressure, the ball broke kindly for Rashford in a central position inside the penalty area. But Cornell was out quickly to smother and that opportunity disappeared too.

Rashford though has plenty of self-belief. And when Digne found space on the left, which he did too often for Preston to stand any chance of a shock victory, the striker expertly found the bottom corner. Though he had to wait for VAR to confirm Villa's penalty, he wasn't put off by that inconvenience either and after a stuttering, slow run-up, applied the cool finish.

In between, he should have had an assist but somehow, Boubacar Kamara and Rogers both failed to apply a successful finish to the trickery that he created the chance by splitting Preston's defence apart.

When he was substituted nine minutes from time, Rashford was afforded a sustained ovation from the visiting supporters, who are fully on board with what he is bringing to their team.

Preston are a club, and Deepdale is a ground, dripping with history.

Through one of England's greatest players Tom Finney, to the likes of Howard Kendall, Bill Shankly and David Moyes, Preston has a storied past, going right back to the first origins of the organised game.

Yet, so much of it is so long ago.

In recent times, Preston's greatest claim to fame is spending season after season in the Championship, never really looking like going up, or getting relegated. Their existence at this level owes so much to the Hemmings family, who continue to invest around £1m a month to keep the club stable.

Yet, as this match proved, such significant investment no longer comes close to securing a place at the top table of the game.

It might have been their biggest attendance since 1971 but from the first seconds, Preston were at full stretch trying to plug the gaps Villa's one-touch passing was capable of creating.

Their work ethic had to be admired. In one three-minute period, Jayden Meghoma raced back 40 yards to produce a recovery tackle on Rogers to save his team on one side of the pitch, then fifth-round hero Robbie Brady threw himself in front of a Digne cross on the other side.

It was crisis management stuff and could only last so long.

Preston did have one opportunity, when the game was still goalless. But Stefan Thordarson headed wide as Will Keane waited to pounce on a Brady shot.

Once Rashford struck, it really was game over.