Often, when picking Manchester United’s Man of the Match, it is usually a case of choosing between a few stand-out performers.
But as Erik ten Hag’s red-hot Red Devils strolled through the pearly gates of Seventh Heaven against Barnsley in the EFL Cup third round, Alan Smith (no, not that one) found his task a little harder than usual.
Would the Sky Sports co-commentator go for Christian Eriksen? Rolling back the years with a magnetic performance and two late strikes to almost double his Manchester United tally on the night?
What about Antony? Comfortably his most confident, flowing Man United team in over a year, albeit against third-tier, third-rate opposition, as he responded emphatically to Ten Hag’s pre-match warning.
Surely Alejandro Garnacho was amongst the favourites to take home that Radox bottle clone of a trophy? Two goals and an assist in a silky-smooth display from a winger who, like his idol Cristiano Ronaldo, is threatening to take his productivity to an all-new level in his third season as a Man United first-teamer.
Manchester United thrash Barnsley 7-0 in Carabao Cup
Well, former Arsenal striker Smith was certainly full of praise for an electrifying Garnacho.
“Such a good player to watch,” he said, via Sky Sports’ live coverage (17 September, 10pm), of United’s ‘fan favourite’. “He has that enthusiasm. He certainly has a love for sticking the ball in the back of the net.”
Smith, however, would instead give his Man of the Match award over to a man who, after going the extra mile on the training pitch during the international break, is starting to see the reward for all his hard work.
Marcus Rashford, his confidence restored after a timely first goal of the season in Saturday’s 3-0 win at Southampton, travelled back in time to early 2023 as he breezed through the Barnsley backline before thumping a fine solo effort into the top scorer to put United 1-0 ahead.
Rashford, after handing over a penalty he would otherwise have taken to the similarly-maligned Antony to double the host’s tally, took his second of the game with the sort of swagger and ruthlessness you would not have imagined only a few weeks ago.
Latching onto Garnacho’s inch-perfect pass, Rashford needed only one sweep of his left boot to leave Barnsley goalkeeper Gabriel Slonina stranded.
Marcus Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho hit braces
“There has been a few standouts; Eriksen, Garnacho…” Smith adds when pressed on his Man of the Match verdict. “But I’m giving it to Marcus Rashford.
“He was the talisman. He got his team rolling and he was looking so confident on the 60-or so minutes he was on the pitch.
“He will be hoping, and Ten Hag will be hoping, that he can carry for on into the season.”
What a difference a couple of days make.
In that damaging 3-0 defeat at home to arch rivals Liverpool, some sections of the home supporters made their frustrations very audible indeed after Rashford was kept on and Garnacho was subbed off during a slog of a second-half.
Only a fortnight later, with three goals in his two games since the international break, the phrase ‘form is temporary, class is permanent’ could hardly seem more fitting.
- READ MORE: Who is Marcus Rashford? Inside the life of Man Utd’s book-writing, government-tackling ace
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