Eight minutes. That's all it took Marcus Rashford and Manchester United to stun a packed Etihad Stadium on Sunday. The Englishman, who started on the left wing for the away side scored from range to hand his team an early lead.
Andre Onana's long ball found Bruno Fernandes near the box after Nathan Ake kept him onside. The Manchester United captain guarded the ball well against Kyle Walker and fed it perfectly for Marcus Rashford to launch a thunderbolt at Ederson's goal. The Brazilian had no chance as the shot blasted past him.
Manchester derby: Watch Marcus Rashford's long-distance goal here:
WHAT A GOAL FROM RASHFORD 🤯
— Janty (@CFC_Janty) March 3, 2024
pic.twitter.com/4YT7S34fdS
It was Marcus Rashford's sixth goal against Manchester City. It came against the run of play as United was forced to the backfoot immediately after kick-off. Led by Phil Foden, Jeremy Doku and Kevin De Bruyne, City launched attacks wave after wave and United reacted by defending in numbers. It was clear that Erik Ten Hag's men planned to sit deep and counter when opportunities arrived.
It worked just fine as a long-ball counter started by goalkeeper Andre Onana gave United the perfect derby start possible before the clock reached the double-digit mark.
If second-placed Manchester City go past their rivals, they will manage to restore the gap with leaders Liverpool to one point. What awaits Pep's men then is a seismic meeting at Anfield on March 10. United are next up against 16th-placed Everton at home on March 9.
