Manchester United star Marcus Rashford was called ‘dominant’ for his performance against Barnsley in the League Cup on Tuesday evening, as the Red Devils ran riot against the League One outfit in a 7-0 win on home turf – and it could lead to him hitting top form again ahead of a crucial part of their season.
Rashford opened his account for the game by taking on two defenders with one swift feint before lashing the ball beyond Chelsea loanee Gabriel Slonina to break the deadlock, whilst a second half strike with his left foot put the game beyond doubt at 5-0 – in which he was hauled off to applause moments later. That’s three goals in two games for the 26-year-old now – and national media outlets have praised him for his performance at Old Trafford.
The Man Utd star was given merits for his dominating display
90Min gave Rashford the Man of the Match gong with a maximum rating alongside teammate Alejandro Garnacho – stating that he was ‘dominant’ against the south Yorkshire outfit. They wrote:
“10/10 – Like Garnacho, Rashford was dominant. Breezed beyond Barnsley’s back line with ease and showed some real class with his opener.”
Meanwhile, GOAL were ever so slightly harsher by rating Rashford at 9/10 – though they described him as a ‘force to be reckoned with’ as he tore the Tykes to shreds. It read:
“[Rashford] showed he can still be a force to be reckoned with as he scored a sublime solo goal. Capped off a very encouraging performance with a second goal as he highlighted his pace and danger in front of goal. It may be too early to say he is back to his best, but these are real shoots of optimism.”
Finally, the Sun stated that the former England star looked ‘rejuvenated’ in their player ratings, with a performance ‘full of energy’ terrorising the Barnsley defence. Their verdict read:
“Rashford rejuvenated? Opened the scoring inside 16 minutes from the No9 position after cutting inside two players and keeping his composure to smash past Chelsea loanee Gabriel Slonina’s top corner. Notched his second of the game after a horror mistake from the Barnsley centre-back. Worked hard to keep the ball alive for Garnacho’s goal too and consistently looked full of energy.”
Rashford’s Form Against Lesser Teams Still Counts
It doesn’t have to be top-flight games where he is on fire
There does have to be a sense of humility when it comes to Rashford’s performance. Despite two great finishes and some neat build-up play, Barnsley will be United’s easiest game of the campaign, and you do have to take that into account.
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Marcus Rashford’s best Man Utd seasons in order of goals scored – all competitions |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Season |
Appearances |
Goals scored |
|
2022/23 |
56 |
30 |
|
2019/20 |
44 |
22 |
|
2020/21 |
57 |
21 |
|
2018/19 |
47 |
13 |
|
2017/18 |
52 |
13 |
He also performed well against Southampton, which does give him some credit over the past week, but it will be more interesting to see if the Wythenshawe-born star can keep up his strong form against Crystal Palace, FC Twente and Tottenham Hotspur before the month is out.
That isn’t to say that you can fully disregard the United star’s performances in the previous two days, though. Rashford underwent a real purple patch in the 2022/23 season for United, starting after the World Cup in Qatar.
He wrote headlines after notching 11 Premier League goals in 11 games for the Red Devils, one goal in two FA Cup appearances, five goals in five League Cup outings and three goals in four in the Europa League.
With some of those coming against Charlton Athletic and Leeds United – a League One team in the League Cup, and a team primed for relegation – it bears similarities to this season, and so the strong performances against lowly opponents do count for something. United chiefs will be hoping that it can spur the Red Devils attacker to hit another strong run of form.
Statistics courtesy of Transfermarkt. Correct as of 18-09-24.
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