At least now Marcus Rashford is level with Willy Boly. And Joachim Andersen. Not to mention Lewis Hall. If various visiting defenders have scored one goal at Old Trafford this season, so – eventually – has the forward who struck 30 times for Manchester United last season and who is one of the best-paid players in their history.
If 14 January felt like a late date for Rashford to open his account on home soil for the campaign, the contrast with the best year of his career felt instructive. A year ago to the day, Rashford scored in a Manchester derby, his 13th strike at Old Trafford that season, even though he had already spent a month at the World Cup. Some 365 days later, a gesture – suggesting his critics had talked too much – may have felt premature: vindication really requires more than one goal, as well-taken and precise a finish as the effort against Tottenham was.
