Marcus Rashford hit a quickfire second-half hat-trick off the bench as Manchester United swept aside RB Leipzig with a stunning 5-0 victory at Old Trafford in the Champions League Wednesday.
SCORERS: Mason Greenwood (21′)Marcus Rashford (74′, 78′, 90’+2′)Anthony Martial (87′ PEN)
Mason Greenwood and Anthony Martial were the other goalscorers for Ole Gunner Solskjaer’s side, which beat Paris Saint-Germain 2-1 in the opening match of the group last week. Champions League Group H.
Substitute striker Edinson Cavani also had the ball in the back of the net, but his late strike was disallowed for offside.
Greenwood, returning to the starting line-up for today’s game, broke the deadlock in the 21st minute in what was an even first half before Rashford, who came on in the 63rd minute, took over.
According to Opta Stats, Greenwood has now scored six goals goal in major European competition as a teenager. His achievement is the joint-most of any Englishman alongside teammate Rashford.
Rashford, meanwhile, scored twice in the 74th and 78th minutes before Martial’s first goal of the season (87) added a fourth from the penalty spot after the Frenchman was brought down by Marcel Sabitzer.
The England striker completed his hat-trick two-minutes into time added on to round off Manchester United‘s perfect evening, completing an 18-minute hat-trick as Solskjaer’s side made it back-to-back wins in Europe to go top of group H ahead of PSG.
Rashford, according to Opta Stats, “became just the fifth player in UEFA Champions League history to score a hat-trick as a substitute, though his 27-minute cameo is the fewest number of minutes played whilst netting a treble in the competition.”
“Marcus Rashford came on and did well but the groundwork was there from the team, that’s what you want that from the subs,” Solskjaer told BT Sport. “What a shift they put in.
“Leipzig are a high press, the intensity, so we had to dig deep. “We had to rest a few because the season is relentless, so we used the squad. This group is coming together. The more quality and spirit you have the more you get the performance.”
Summer recruit Donny van Beek was handed a starting place for today’s game and he delivered a solid display.
“Donny is fantastic boy. You see the work he puts down,” the Manchester United boss stated.
Next time out, Manchester United will host Arsenal on Super Sunday, with this game broadcasting live on Sky Sports Premier League and Sky Sports Main Event.
