Antony’s penalty in this evisceration means the maligned wide man needs only two more goals to equal the three last season for Manchester United. The paltry tally sums up how poor he has been, so scoring versus lowly opposition is no phoenix-from-the-flames return more a step on the path to rebuild his standing under Erik ten Hag. Marcus Rashford’s expertly executed double, though, can be taken as evidence that he is returning to his best after Saturday’s goal at Southampton. With Alejandro Garnacho also scoring twice this was a satisfying outing for the three wingers.
“They are very ambitious, hungry but what you also see is they give each other the ball,” Ten Hag said. “They also give assists and each other the opportunity to score a goal – like the penalty, when Antony needs some confidence, Rashy [the normal taker] gives it to him, which is good in a team.” Of the No 10’s upturn in form, Ten Hag said: “Confidence is a big part of it, it is not everything, and Rashford is a big guy, scored so many goals, he’s on the list of United goalscorers. But you are as good as your last game and every time you have to prove it. The biggest guys, the biggest football players, when they are not scoring, they drop in performance, it doesn’t matter who.”
