Rashford keeps hope alive that United can still nurture youth
He was awarding himself a tactical gold star.
Before kick-off, the Premier League trophy sat on a desk in the press room. It was on a tour of England’s grounds, apparently. To see it glinting under the lights was to remember how long ago 2013 now feels. That was the summer of United’s last title win – the last of 13 under Sir Alex Ferguson.
In the four years since, the fancy pot has not looked remotely like returning to this stadium.
In the game itself, though, United were recognisably Manchester United.
They were no longer the type of side that draws 56.25 per cent of their home fixtures (or nine from 16 games); no longer a blunt force, labouring to score.
Once the teamsheet dropped, showing Ibrahimovic and Henrikh Mkhitaryan on the bench, with Mourinho saying Zlatan was “very tired,” trepidation crept across the home crowd. The apparent emphasis on taking the Europa League route to Champions League qualification looked like an admission of defeat. Instead, Mourinho’s young front two had David Luiz, Gary Cahill and Kurt Zouma in a spin, hustling them and running beyond them high up the pitch, which Chelsea seemed to resent. Conte’s men certainly failed to come up with a response. There is no guarantee in any of this that United’s flaring into life will be sustained. Their form across the season has been too uneven for their fans to believe in overnight transformation.
Rashford, though, has returned from the mists he drifted into after a sensational start to his United career had caused everyone to forget he was a teenager and deny him the right to go through ups and downs in his development.
Those expectations launched him into England’s Euro 2016 squad, where he put a fire under the dire performance against Iceland with a late cameo (too late). He returned to Old Trafford for his second season with everyone expecting wonders. Mourinho, though, is not known for his youth opportunity schemes, and while Wayne Rooney was departing the picture, Ibrahimovic became the automatic choice at centreforward, forcing Rashford into a bit-part role out wide.
Those luminous pre-Euro 2016 displays faded into memory. And the familiar error kicked in: Rashford was judged like a fully mature pro, a finished item. In reality this 2-0 win over Chelsea was his 25th league appearance. It was also his most dramatic. It reopened the title race and rewrote United’s prospects for the run-in.
There was a goal in there, too: a seventh-minute finish from an exquisite pass by Herrera, preceded by a handball (Hander Herrera, someone joked).
Rashford’s sprint beyond Luiz set the tone. “It was a clear pass, he looked up and we made eye contact. Then he [Herrera] put the ball exactly where I wanted it,” Rashford said. “It’s something that’s needed in this team, because we’ve been lacking in understanding and goals.”
Luiz has been superb at the back for Chelsea. But Rashford left him ragged. He was direct, quick, relentless and skilful with ball at feet. His standing ovation when Ibrahimovic replaced him after 82 minutes evoked the great Old Trafford send-offs to the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo or Ryan Giggs – not that he should be burdened with those comparisons.
But why not celebrate a fine homegrown talent finding his feet again? The first hints of it were against Sunderland eight days ago, when he came on and scored. He was excellent, too, in Anderlecht. Plainly, being allowed to play through the centre is to his liking.
Mourinho thought the early timing of Rashford’s goal gave United “confidence and stability” and said: “The kid played fantastically well.”
United’s manager also declared: “We keep two windows open to play Champions League football [next season].” Rashford, meanwhile, kept the hope alive that United can still find young stars and put them on this stage to grow and learn.