Who else besides Marcus Rashford? The Manchester United striker scored his 16th goal of the season in the 82nd minute, giving Erik ten Hag’s team a memorable victory.
It came when Alejandro Garnacho, who had come on as a substitute, twisted and turned in Manchester City’s area before rolling the ball into Rashford, who was unstoppable.
Earlier, Pep Guardiola had greeted Jack Grealish’s leaping header with a cheeky grin and punch of the air to celebrate his decision to bring on the winger only three minutes before.
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That strike was on the hour and threw down a challenge to United: after dominating for long swathes of this 189th derby could they recover poise and find a way back?
The answer was a resounding yes to the first and second questions, in a response that began with Bruno Fernades equalizing. This occurred when Casemiro flighted a beautiful pass in behind City. Rashford was offside but did not touch the ball, allowing Fernandes to charge in and slam home. The flag was raised at first, and a furious Fernandes led the protests to the assistant referee. However, after a brief pause, the finish was ruled fair – which it was, much to United’s delight.
Even better, Rashford followed to send Old Trafford into raptures. The home crowd was deafeningly loud, those in blue stunned by Ten Hag’s side’s refusal to be cowed by the champions. At the end, twin challenges from Antony and Garnacho – on Kevin De Bruyne and Kyle Walker, respectively – were an apt symbol of how United showed the courage Ten Hag said was lacking after being thrashed 6-3 at the Etihad in October.
That is now a particularly distant memory, with United closing in on a point against City.
