Rashford Breaks Season Duck in Style: Ten Haag Hails Goal as Catalyst for More Success
Manchester United Secures Double with Marcus Rashford’s Long-Awaited First Goal of the Season
Manchester United won 3-0 in the 4th round away match of the English Premier League 2024-25 against Southampton held at St. Mary in Southampton, England on the 14th (Korea time).
Manchester United fell to their first successive losing streak after defeats against Brighton & Hove Albion and Liverpool. However, not only did they escape their losing streak, but they also secured a double with Marcus Rashford’s long-awaited first goal of the season.
Rashford had appeared in 4 games before today and was quiet without scoring. Although he started every game, he was unable to create a proper scoring opportunity. The slump in the 2023-24 season appeared to continue.
Rashford has received strong criticism for this. Gary Neville said: “Rashford lacks confidence. Manchester United must solve this problem. I think I can regain my confidence, but I think I’m having a hard time. “Right now, he doesn’t seem happy about his game and he looks sad.”
Roy Keane said: “I don’t want to say I’m worried about Rashford, but there’s something wrong with him. “I want to be the leader of this team and if I sign a big contract, I have more responsibility,” he said.
Alan Shearer said: “Van Nistelrooy came to Manchester United. He needs to show some magic. We know Manchester United are missing Hoirun through injury. However, Rashford clearly has many areas to improve. “What we can see after looking back at past games is that his position was not good enough,” he said.
However, Rashford never lost the trust of coach Erik ten Haag and eventually repaid his trust with a goal. In the 41st minute of the first half, he was responsible for Manchester United’s extra goal with a great shot from mid-range that even Aaron Ramsdale, who was making a great save, could not block.
Even after that, Rashford’s offensive instincts remained sharp. If not for Ramsdale’s save, he could have expected several goals. In particular, he boasted the vision and passing ability to save his teammates when it wasn’t his chance to shoot, proving once again that he is the core of Manchester United’s attack.
The Ten Haag Coach said in an interview with the local media after the match, “Rashford’s first goal is very important. We also had a chat before the game. “It means a lot to him,” he said “Every striker would want to score at the start of the season. Rashford has now scored his first goal. “I’m sure we’ll score more goals.”
Meanwhile, in addition to Rashford, coach ten Haag has mentioned Andre Onana and Matthijs de Ligt, who changed the flow of the game. Onana blocked Cameron Archer’s penalty in the 33rd minute of the first half. De Ligt then finished Bruno Fernandes’ cross, scoring his first goal since his transfer.
Coach Ten Haag said, “We have to win every game and we won today (against Southampton),” and added, “We have to find a way to win. “There were a few problems at the start of the game, but with Onana saving a penalty and De Ligt scoring, we had the game.”