MOTD: Manchester United 2-1 Arsenal

By on February 28, 2016

Four days ago, Marcus Rashford was an eighteen-year-old boy, a hopeful English youth international who was one of many peers to graduate from Manchester United’s famed academy.  His mother has reportedly been a regular at Old Trafford this season, hoping to see her son make his debut for United’s senior team.  When Rashford joined United’s squad to face FC Midtyjlland, his mother was apparently considering whether to travel to the game in case he played, according to the Sun.

Then Rashford called her up before the match, downplaying the occasion and telling her there was no need to come on up to Old Trafford; Anthony Martial would be starting, after all.  The local boy certainly wasn’t the only unknown youngster to feature on the United bench this season and won’t be the last.  He had already sat on the bench against Watford earlier in the season.

Yet moments before kick-off, Martial pulled out of training with an injury.  They said it was the next worst thing to happen to Van Gaal this season in a long, grueling season full of twists, just a day after he had invoked the “Law of Murphy”: anything that can go wrong, will.  This twist in fate, however, was perhaps the best stroke of luck United have found all season, as Rashford came on and salvaged their Europa League campaign with a brace.

Four days ago, Marcus Rashford could walk down the street without being recognized.  Not anymore.  Today, Rashford catapulted himself into the Old Trafford history books with another brace to give United a crucial 3-2 win over Arsenal.

He follows a long line of youthful United academy graduates in recent years: Federico Macheda, Adnan Januzaj (who replaced Rashford as a sub today), James Wilson, and more.  Some have succeeded in the long term, namely Paul Pogba, but none have yet to fulfill their early potential while at Old Trafford.

Van Gaal, however, believes that this performances puts Rashford into “special” territory.

“Youngsters often play well in the first match,” he said, per the BBC. “The second is different. Marcus played well in both so he is a special talent.”

The Dutchman added: “His performance was better than the first match.”

Rashford scored two first-half goals within the space of three minutes and created Ander Herrera’s winner as United pulled themselves closer to a Champions League place with a critical win. Arsenal, meanwhile, had their title campaign derailed after beating league-leaders Leicester City last weekend.

The bookies had them odds-on to win this one, but in peak Arsenal fashion, they can be world-beaters one day and collapse the next.  Danny Welbeck and Mesut Özil twice pulled them back within a goal of United’s lead, yet they couldn’t penetrate their hosts’ back-line despite the majority of possession.

They were poor in front of goal and Nacho Monreal couldn’t beat David de Gea with a left-footed side volley at the end of Mesut Özil’s lovely flick down the left side of the box.

Rashford was lively from the opening whistle, cutting in between Gabriel and Özil down the left wing.  The former stuck a leg out to trip of the eighteen-year-old forward and Memphis Depay forced Petr Čech into a smart stop from the Dutchman’s resulting low, driven free-kick.

United were too narrow early on and some width paid dividends when Guillermo Varela, who had assisted Ashford’s second against Midtyjlland, whipped a cross into the box from the right.  A slight deflection put off Gabriel, whose clearance fell to Rashford ten yards out from goal.  The youngster finished with an aplomb that belies his age.

Only three minutes later, he was on the scoresheet again, floating between Arsenal’s two center-backs and powering Jesse Lingard’s cross into the back of the net with a free header.
Just when United seemed to be in control of the tie, however, Arsenal struck back as Danny Welbeck flicked Mesut Ozil’s deep free-kick into the back of the net.

The intensity of the match spread to Louis van Gaal on the touchline and the Dutch manager was animated on the touch-line, even coming out to mock the referee with a fake dive early in the second half, a moment that will live in internet fame.

United bagged a third on the hour mark when Ander Herrera drilled Rashford’s cut-back into the back of the net off of Laurent Koscielny, but Ozil pulled one back five minutes later with a scrappy finish from the rebound of a de Gea save on Welbeck.

Yet United’s youngsters held onto their lead valiantly and kept their undefeated streak of nine games against Arsenal at home alive.  Rashford received a standing ovation when he was substituted for Januzaj in the eightieth minute and four days after breaking onto the scene at United, everybody knows his name.

About Alex Morgan

Alex Morgan, founder of Football Every Day, lives and breaths football from the West Coast of the United States in California. Aside from founding Football Every Day in January of 2013, Alex has also launched his own journalism career and hopes to help others do the same with FBED. He covers the San Jose Earthquakes as a beat reporter for QuakesTalk.com and his work has also been featured in the BBC's Match of the Day Magazine.