Prolific Rashford keeps boxing clever on and off pitch for Solskjaer’s side
MARCUS RASHFORD is making a difference off the pitch this Christmas with his In-the-Box initiative to help the homeless in Manchester.
Fronted by Rashford, 22, the campaign encourages members of the public to fill a shoebox with essential items and donate the contents to homeless charities in the Manchester area.
On the pitch, Rashford is having just as big an impact in the box for Manchester United, enjoying his most prolific season so far.
With his two goals, Rashford took his tally for the season to 12 – one short of his career-best haul – with five months of the campaign still to play.
If he carries on scoring at this rate, there is every chance Rashford will break through the 20-goal mark for the first time in his career.
The United and England striker performed like a man possessed last night. He was unplayable in the first half and could have had a hat-trick inside half an hour.
His sixth-minute opener, a thunderous angled effort, was the shot of a player oozing confidence. Rashford took the chance early to catch out Tottenham goalkeeper Paulo
Gazzaniga, who got a hand to the effort but could not keep it out.
Rashford then went close with a dipping free-kick from just outside the box, before letting fly from 30 yards with a missile of a shot that was tipped on to the bar by Gazzaniga, the save as exquisite as the strike.
A minute later, Rashford was again eyeing the Spurs goal but Gazzaniga was once
more equal to the task, diving at full stretch to his left to palm away a curling, goalbound effort.
Through their No10 alone, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s should have been out of sight by the break, such was their first-half dominance against a surprisingly passive Spurs side.
But as has so often been the case this season, United were unable to kill the game when on top and allowed Spurs a way back into the contest, albeit through a moment of individual brilliance from Deli Alli, levelling before the break.
But Rashford restored the home side’s lead two minutes after the restart, winning a penalty after being tripped by Moussa Sissoko and converting from the spot to continue his impressive night.
In the box, off the pitch, at the moment, Rashford can do little wrong.