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Manchester United secured their place in the fourth round of the Carabao Cup after scoring seven points against Barnsley at Old Trafford on Tuesday.
Alejandro Garnazzo, Marcus Rashford and Christian Eriksen all scored twice, with Anthony rounding off the scoring with a first-half penalty.
Erik ten Hag will be pleased with this result after struggling early in the season, but he will be most pleased with the fact that all of his wingers have scored this season, which will take some of the pressure off new signing Joshua Zirkzee.
Rashford, one of the players who has been subjected to a great deal of criticism for over a year, felt the hate and criticism was tantamount to bullying and felt he had to respond to his critics.
Rashford continues at Southampton
He started the weekend by scoring against Southampton in the league and then did the same against a First Division side.
The Manchester native delighted the Old Trafford faithful with his iconic celebrations and played with a smile that would have pleased even his manager.
Marcus Rashford’s numbers against Barnsley:
9 touches in the opponent’s box
6 shots
5 take-on attempts
3 successful acquisitions
3 passes to the last 1/3 point
3 target shots
2 ball recovery
2 goals
1 assistBorn to play in red and white 🎶 pic.twitter.com/8NQb6GMIol
— Statman Dave (@StatmanDave) September 17, 2024
The Englishman provided Garnazzo’s first assist, his pass setting up Anthony for a penalty.
The 26-year-old had three shots on target, three of which were blocked, made one key pass and created one good chance (stats courtesy of sofascore).
EtH will be happy
The England international completed three successful dribbles, had nine touches in the opposition penalty area and completed three passes in the final third of the pitch.
Coming from the youth ranks, he doesn’t enjoy playing as a lone centre-forward but he worked hard that night and, in addition to scoring a goal, won half the ground battles and also made one clearance.
Many critics have pointed out that this was just Barnsley’s game, but Rashford played with confidence and put in a good performance against the opposition and that is all the manager could have hoped for.
Ten Hag will be hoping to continue this form with big games coming up in the league and European competitions.
Feature image Stu Forster via Getty Images
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