Everyone was talking about Marcus Rashford, and deservedly so, after the Manchester United forward scored twice in a dominant performance against old boss Jose Mourinho and Tottenham Hotspur on Wednesday.
Rashford scored early and then won and converted a penalty in the 2-1 win at Old Trafford, the Red Devils claiming three points to move into sixth place.
[ RECAP: Man Utd 2-1 Spurs ]
He also forced Paulo Gazzaniga into an acrobatic save on a dipping shot from distance, and was at the center of anything good produced by United.
Rashford says it’s down to effort, via the BBC:
As for his Rashford’s former boss, Mourinho said he prepared the players for Rashford’s left-sided acumen, and the forward still executed with aplomb.
There was more than a little hint of “Old Jose” in his description of Spurs’ players failure and defense of how he used Rashford on the wing when pundits kept saying he was a center forward.
“When he plays from the left he is really dangerous and I knew that and gave the players the best information about it,” he said. “His first goal is a typical Rashford goal coming on the inside. Our boys knew that clearly.”
[ MORE: Mourinho, Dele on “overconfident” Spurs ]
Under fire, at least outwardly, manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was understandably thrilled by both the win and his 22-year-old. Rashford now has nine goals and four assists in 15 league outings this season.
“It was the best performance Marcus Rashford has had under me, a mature and aggressive performance. It was a great performance. It’s like he was back on the playground, we just want these players to express themselves and have fun.”