Marcus Rashford came off the bench after being sent off for disciplinary reasons and scored the winner for Manchester United on Saturday in a 1-0 win over Wolverhampton that sent the team through to the final. Premier Leaguetop four of Rashford was sent off by manager Erik ten Haag for an undisclosed disciplinary breach, but came on after the halftime break and responded with a well-timed goal in the 76th minute.
The England forward collected the ball on the left before cutting inside and exchanging passes with Bruno Fernandes, then dribbled past two defenders and swept it past goalkeeper José Sa. It was Rashford’s 11th goal of the season for his club and meant United would end a turbulent year in fourth place, two points ahead of Tottenham.
Alejandro Garnacho started in place of Rashford and wasted a great chance to score earlier, while United goalkeeper David de Gea was rewarded with a superb free kick from Ruben Neves and a late header from Mexico forward Raul Jimenez at the other end. had to be saved.
Rashford: “I overslept and I missed the pregame meeting. I was a little late. It’s team rules and I understand the decision”, explains @btsportfootball #MUFC
Ten Haag: “It’s good after the decision. He was bright, he was alive, scored a goal. The right reaction”. pic.twitter.com/DxfRIt7hnL
– Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) December 31, 2022
With United now losing just one of their last 15 games since a humiliating 6-3 defeat to Manchester City in October, Ten Haag has made his mark on and off the pitch at Old Trafford.
With Cristiano Ronaldo leaving the club after being dropped and disciplined by Ten Haag earlier this season, the Dutchman made another huge selection call which ultimately saw the manager keep his word without damaging United’s form. Rashford thought he had his second goal in the 84th, only for his effort to be disallowed as a result of the striker’s handling of the ball. Wolves are looking to avoid the relegation zone for the first time in two months but will end 2022 in the bottom three.
