Marcus quick to take his chance

FOR Marcus Rashford, it could turn out to be a career-defining match. Drafted in at late notice to replace the injured Paul Pogba, the 20-year-old England star took full advantage of a rare start to score his first Premier League goals of 2018, and in front of international manager Gareth Southgate as well.

Jose Mourinho, who has sometimes been slow to trust Rashford, was delighted his selection paid dividends.

Rashford played wide on the left and gave Trent Alexander-Arnold a terrible time. The bonus were his first-half goals, both finished emphatically with his right foot.

‘Of course Marcus was fundamental,’ said Mourinho. ‘He has scored two goals in a big match against a top-class opponent.

‘The first chance he had, he took it. That hasn’t always happened in the last few months and he was feeling that a little bit.

‘It was a big game, but we trusted him, he has been improving in training and sometimes that is the bit that fans and media don’t see.

‘We know his mood, if he is training well, and we had the feeling that his pace could be very important on the left.’

Rashford opened the scoring when he reacted quickly to Romelu Lukaku’s flick and beat Alexander-Arnold for speed before cutting inside the defender and firing past Loris Karius. That was his 12th goal of the season, but only his second in 14 matches, and the next one followed on quickly.

Again Lukaku was involved, bullying Dejan Lovren before feeding Juan Mata. When the Spaniard’s pass inside the area bounced off Virgil van Dijk, Rashford reacted instinctively with a first-time shot.

‘You have to be ready when your chance comes,’ said Rashford, who has started only 14 times for United in the league this season.

‘My first goal gave me the confidence to do more. When the ball fell to me for the second, I was sure it was going to go in.’

The only fear was that Rashford was too pumped up. He was booked for fouling James Milner and escaped a second yellow when he slid in on Alexander-Arnold before the interval.

Mourinho replaced him after 70 minutes, later admitting Rashford’s earlier caution had been a factor. ‘I wanted to bring in a player that could make a foul,’ he said.

Rashford admitted getting over-excited, adding: ‘I had to tell myself to relax and play the game,’ he said.

Southgate is a big fan of Rashford and he was always likely to be included in the next England squad announced on Thursday. This performance has pushed his claims to be a starter for club and country.

‘I didn’t know Gareth Southgate was here but it’s nice. He keeps in touch with me and everything is straightforward with him. When it’s like that, it helps the player.’