Manchester United confirmed their place in next season’s Champions League with a 4-1 victory over Chelsea, with a return to form for Marcus Rashford a big factor in the win.
A combination of injuries and a dip in form had seen Rashford go without a goal in just under a month, having stormed his way to 29 goals this season.
Against The Blues, the England star finally bagged goal 30, securing a milestone tally over the course of a season that has not been met since Sir Alex Ferguson‘s retirement.
Rashford did not even start the match, only coming on to replace Antony after the Brazilian suffered an injury shortly before the half-hour mark.
It took a while for Rashford to settle into the match, having missed the weekend fixture against AFC Bournemouth through illness.
But halfway through the second half he became nigh-on unplayable, racking up five shots in the final seventeen minutes, at which point he had been moved into the centre forward position.
Three of those shots hit the target after the ball was worked into the box, with the other two sighters from range.
His goal made it 4-0 to put the game beyond doubt, but there was plenty else in Rashford’s game worthy of appreciation.
Over the course of the match, Rashford showed good good ball retention, ceding possession on just five occasions and finding a teammate with 91.7% of his passes.
He also managed two key passes to set up chances for his teammates.
A thorn in the Chelsea defence, Rashford was his usual direct self in facing up to defenders, completing four successful dribbles, with the majority of those attacking the penalty area directly.
Erik ten Hag will be delighted to have his star man fit and firing once again, with the FA Cup final against Manchester City drawing closer.
(All stats via SofaScore)
Imagine an FA Cup Final programme, but 100% online!
With just a couple of clicks you could be reading the FA Cup final special edition of United Matchday Magazine, right here on your device. All the latest news, meet the teams, tactical preview, opinion, debate, transfer news, quiz and much more! Get yours now for just £3/$3.75 and
be in the know about everything in red!
