Anthony Martial equalled David Beckham’s tally of 85 goals for Manchester United with his second half strike in their League Cup semi-final.
The French forward opened the scoring in Manchester United’s 2-0 win over Nottingham Forest at Old Trafford with an opportunistic strike in the 73rd minute, with Fred scoring shortly after, which helped the Red Devils secure a 5-0 aggregate win to set up a date with Newcastle United in the final at Wembley on February 26.
Martial was brought on from the bench by Erik ten Hag after the hour-mark as part of a triple substitution, alongside Marcus Rashford and the returning Jadon Sancho. He took just 10 minutes to make an impact with a strike that saw him equal Beckham’s goal tally for Manchester United after pouncing on a Rashford shot that took a kind deflection to fall in his way. Martial is now joint 25th in United’s all-time top goal-scorers list alongside Beckham, but has reached the milestone 111 games earlier than the legendary former winger.
Ten Hag was full of praise for Martial after the final whistle as he told reporters: “You always need different qualities in a squad to be technical in games and between games, see what you need, what the games need, but Anthony Martial can create something with his movements, his dealing with the ball, his smartness and his finishing.
“I don’t know if he has been all the time down, but he’s not always available, we hope he will be available for a couple of games, a couple of weeks and months and if that’s the case he can be much more successful.”
The forward will hope to earn a place in Ten Hag’s starting XI when United play Crystal Palace on Saturday in the Premier League.
Bruno Fernandes named in Premier League Team of the Month for January 2023
Bruno Fernandes has been named in the Premier League Team of the Month for January 2023.
January was undoubtedly his best month this term when it comes to goal contributions. He was everywhere, scoring in the big moments and helping this team move forward.
For his displays, Bruno was the sole United star named in WhoScored’s January Team of the Month – and he richly deserves the plaudits heading his way.
Check out the full Premier League Team of the Month for January 2023 (via @WhoScored):
With a 7.53 rating, Bruno’s inclusion is warranted. These statistical ratings largely focus on goals and assists for midfielders, while his pressing and sheer desire to win doesn’t show on these graphics. He deserves extra credit for that.
It goes without saying, Bruno is vital for this team. He’s the heart and soul of everything good about United in the final third, and we’re going to need him to maintain these levels for the remainder of the season if we’re serious about winning silverware.
Congrats, Bruno!
SOURCE: goal.com, oldtraffordfaithful.com
