Cristiano Ronaldo’s gestures give Manchester United an added boost to ending Arsenal’s winning start

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Marcus Rashford scored two and assisted another for Antony in Man United’s win over Arsenal, just as he did on his Premier League debut against Arsenal.
The last Manchester United Premier League goalscoring debutant against Arsenal laid it on for the latest. As headline-grabbing as Antony’s impact was, it was an old scourge of Arsenal’s who inflicted a first defeat of the season on them.
Just like six-and-a-half years ago, Marcus Rashford’s Sunday ended with two goals and an assist against Arsenal, for ever willing patsies to United just when they appeared to be a serious side.
Rashford reacted to his winning goal by jumping for joy as identically as he did when he finished his first goals past Arsenal as an 18-year-old, this time at the Stretford End. Same outcome, different end.
All of this on an afternoon when a section of the crowd sounded audibly irked with Rashford more than once with his style. Fernandes out-pressed Rashford at times and United seemed to miss Anthony Martial’s pressing triggers their coaches rhapsodized about during pre-season.
All of this on an afternoon when a section of the crowd sounded audibly irked with Rashford more than once with his style. Fernandes out-pressed Rashford at times and United seemed to miss Anthony Martial’s pressing triggers their coaches rhapsodized about during pre-season.
Yet bizarrely, this was also a proper striker’s performance from Rashford, his first goal deflecting in scruffily off Gabriel when the Brazilian had no right to be breathing down his neck. The second was served on a plate by the superb Christian Eriksen.
Admittedly, Rashford’s goal came after he was relocated to the wing to accommodate Cristiano Ronaldo but the area he drifted into was very much centre forward territory. It is still not a coincidence Rashford truly came alive playing off the left, where Jadon Sancho failed to unnerve the auxiliary right-back Ben White.
Four victories out of six, two against teams who ended above them in last season’s cataclysmic campaign, marks an impressive revival from the debacles of Brighton and Brentford. United have only not moved into the Champions League qualifying berths as both Tottenham and Brighton won. They are three points off the summit.
Arsenal, their 100 per cent record now over, is another scalp for Ten Hag mere months into his premiership. United were not entirely convincing and the counter-attack remains their favoured approach on the front foot. Points on the board takes precedent as exorbitant signings are integrated into the team after a fraught first three weeks in August.
The scoreline had to be consulted as to whether it read 0-1 as the chalked-off goal knocked the stuffing out of United, their early impetus lost to one warning shot. It was through the visionary Eriksen’s line-breaking pass, rendering Arsenal’s midfield duo moot, that the attacking quartet tidily converted. Suddenly the scoreline read 1-0.

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