Marcus Rashford Hits Double As Man United End Arsenal’s 100% Start
Marcus Rashford hits doubleas Manchester Unitedwon its fourth game in a row and ended Arsenal's unbeaten start to the Premier League season with a 3-1 victory at Old Trafford on Sunday, September 4, 2022.
Gabriel Martinelli appeared to have given Arsenal the lead in the 12th minute after finishing off a quick break, but the effort was disallowed after a VARreview.
As the visitors dominate, Martinelli forced two saves from United goalkeeper David De Gea, but it was the home side who drew first blood through debutant Antony.
Rashford found the Brazilian winger on the right and he coolly drifted a shot into the far bottom corner, which he signed from Ajax last week.
Marcus Rashford Hits Double - Man Utd Winning
After Bukayo Saka cancelled out United debutant Antony's opener, two Rashford goals on the break decided a high-tempo, high-quality game.
Arsenal remained top of the table with 15 points after five straight wins, and while they will be disappointed to have ended that run, this was far from the kind of meek defeat they have produced in recent years against Big Six opponents.
After a dreadful start to the season with defeats by Brighton and Brentford, United appear to have found their belief again, and Dutch coach Erik ten Hag's approach is yielding results.
Antony was given a starting spot on the right flank, with Rashford central and Jadon Sancho on the left, but Cristiano Ronaldowas named to the bench alongside Brazilian Casemiro.
United dominated the opening exchanges, camping in Arsenal's half, and Christian Eriksen had an early chance, but his volley flashed wide.
Arsenal, on the other hand, looked slick on the ball, and Gabriel Martinelli appeared to have given them a 12th-minute lead after finishing off a quick break.
However, referee Paul Tierney was sent to the video monitor and disallowed the goal after determining that Eriksen had been fouled by Martin Odegaard prior to the counter-attack.
As the visitors began to dominate, Martinelli forced two saves from United goalkeeper David De Gea, but it was the home side who scored first, 10 minutes before the break.
Brazilian Antony, who joined Manchester United from Ajax last week, was found on the right by Rashford and coolly drifted a left-footed shot into the far bottom corner.
On the hour, the excellent Odegaard threaded a ball towards Gabriel Jesus in the box, and after a challenge by Raphael Varane, the ball fell to Saka, who slotted home.
Last season, United may have panicked or faded away, but six minutes later, Bruno Fernandes found Rashford with a superb through ball, and the England striker confidently beat the advancing Aaron Ramsdale.
A four-game winning streak, including victories over Liverpool and Arsenal, has completely transformed the atmosphere at Old Trafford, and Ten Hag was right to be pleased with his players' tenacity.
“„"The spirit from this team, they can deal with setbacks so we did, it is really great and shows your mentality - we have really improved on that," he said. We are happy and satisfied with the win, also the performanceagainst a really good team - they played really well," he said.
United moved up to fifth place in the table, three points behind Arsenal.
Outstanding Odegaard
On the hour, the excellent Odegaard threaded a ball towards Gabriel Jesus in the box, and after a challenge by Raphael Varane, the ball fell to Saka, who slotted home.
Last season, United may have panicked or faded away, but six minutes later, Bruno Fernandes found Rashford with a superb through ball, and the England striker confidently beat the advancing Aaron Ramsdale.
Another quick counter led to United's third goal, with Eriksen breaking clear and slipping the ball across to Rashford for a simple finish.
A four-game winning streak, including victories over Liverpool and Arsenal, has completely transformed the atmosphere at Old Trafford, and Ten Hag was right to be pleased with his players' tenacity.
"This team's spirit, they can deal with setbacks, so we did, it's really great and shows your mentality - we've really improved on that," he said.
"We're happy and satisfied with the victory, as well as our performance against a really good team - they played really well," he said.
United moved up to fifth place in the table, three points behind Arsenal. Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta was concerned that his team had not capitalized on a strong performance.
“„"I am very disappointed that we haven’t won the game. The game was there for the taking. We haven’t won it because we lacked some discipline in some moments and we weren’t ruthless enough in front of goal," he said.
"I told the players at halftime that the game is there for the taking and if we play with more courage we win the game. It was 1-1 and then it should have been 2-1 (for us). It is a big lesson if you want to win here you have to do everything so right," he said.
Conclusion
To sum it up, Marcus Rashford hits double-ended Arsenal's perfect start to the season and moved up to fifth in the Premier League.
Marcus Rashford's two second-half goals sealed the victory for Manchester United, who are becoming more solid in defense with each game.
Another quick counter resulted in United's third goal, with Christian Eriksen breaking clear and slipping the ball across to Rashford for a simple finish.