Man Utd 3 Sheff Utd 0: Anthony Martial scores sublime hat-trick in huge boost for Champions League chasing United
Anthony Martial is turning into the striker Ole Solskjaer longed for.
Not just someone who can produce a worldy every now and then, enjoyable as they are.
But one who can score the sort of goals the manager himself used to thrive on.
Those ones when you grab the scrap and turn it into a feast.
When you are the right man in the right place at the right time in that box, as Solskjaer was time and time again during his illustrious career at Manchester United.
The clever flick, turn and finish that he produced in the 3-0 win over Watford the last time he was on target here might bring the gasps as well as the cheers.
The first time finishes in a busy box produce the same end result and Solskjaer knows there will be better figures at the end of the season with more of those.
As it was the Frenchman’s hat-trick here took him to 19, his best tally for a season since making an instant impact in his first campaign with United in 2015-16 when he struck 17.
Well it is now, as he starts to form a very dangerous partnership with Marcus Rashford.
With Martial still only 24 and Rashford, 22, there is reason to believe United could have a pairing like Dwight Yorke and Andy Cole if things progress the way they are under Solskjaer
They have an understanding as to where each other is with Rashford setting his partner up for the opener on seven minutes as he fired the ball across the six yard box and Martial’s outstretched leg turned the ball in.
Martial returned the favour for Rashford just five minutes later which should have seen him open his post lockdown account only to scuff a shot wide of an open goal.
Martial’s second, came in not disimilair circumstances as the first with this time Aaron Wan Bissaka supplying the driven ball into the box for him to turn in first time.
His hat-trick came on 74 minutes at the end of a superb slick move.
The one touches are instinctive and tear defences open.
Pogba, impressive in his first since September set things going as he slid the ball through for Bruno Fernandes.
His flick found Martial who moved it on to Rashford.
Both the strikers had quickly formed in their minds how things would finish as the move progressed so when Rashford returned the final ball, Martial had begun his short run to meet it and with great calmness flicked a finish over the advancing Simon Moore.
With that he became the first Manchester United player to score a league hat-trick since Robin van Persie in April 2013.
Scoring all the goals in a 3-0 win over Aston Villa the Dutchman clinched United’s last title and Sir Alex Ferguson retired a few weeks later.
It has taken until now for there to be real hope that seasons like that could be repeated again.
United are now 13 unbeaten as they fight for a top four spot.
The FA Cup – they face a quarter-final at Norwich in a quarter-final on Saturday – and the Europa League still offer chances of glory in the coming weeks.
For Sheffield United the promise offered pre-lockdown has been replaced by a very different reality now football has resumed.
Before Covid-19 brought matters to a temporary halt they were on a run of three wins and a draw which had Blades fans dreaming of a place in football’s elite themselves with one of those top four places.
In the three games since they have taken just one point, had one shot on target in each, and now been thumped 3-0 in consecutive games
They slide, Ole Solskjaer continues to stride.
A year ago questions were being asked as to why he had been given the job permanently at Old Trafford.
Had Ed Woodward jumped the gun? Were United about to embark on the search for another new boss?
The board stood firm and before 40,000 faces on a mosaic in Old Trafford tonight we once again saw why.
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