Manchester United’s 3-0 win against Southampton brought a glimmer of hope for both fans and manager Erik Ten Hag.
With a strong performance on Saturday, the team ended their poor start to the season, and the spotlight was on Marcus Rashford, who had been under pressure for his recent performances.
Rashford, a 26-year-old forward and academy product, found the back of the net in spectacular fashion during the second goal of the match.
His curling strike was not only a highlight of the game but also a statement that the player could be regaining his form after a slow start this season.
Before this, Rashford had been struggling to make an impact in the early fixtures, drawing criticism from both fans and pundits. His involvement in this match, however, was noticeably better.
The match itself saw Manchester United dominate a newly promoted Southampton side, scoring three goals in total. Rashford’s goal was the second in a well-rounded performance that also saw other players contribute to a comfortable win.
The victory was seen as a much-needed boost for the team, which had not been at its best in the previous games of the season.
Erik Ten Hag, Manchester United’s manager, had faced calls to drop Rashford from the starting lineup after the player’s slow start. However, the Dutch coach kept his faith in the striker, believing that he would find his rhythm soon.
After the game, Ten Hag was full of praise for Rashford’s performance and goal, highlighting how important it could be for the player’s confidence going forward.
Speaking to the BBC after the match, Ten Hag said, “It’s very important. We spoke before the game and it is so huge for him, for every striker, when the season starts, you want to be on the scoring list. Now he has his first, I’m sure more will come.”
The manager also noted that Manchester United had plenty of chances to extend the scoreline, reflecting on how his team could have won by an even larger margin. “We had the chances to kill the game off, we had the chances, I don’t know how many. We had several to go to 3 or 4-0.”
