Marcus Rashford proved to be the hero for Manchester United in Saturday’s 1–0 victory at Wolverhampton, but the path to his match-winning goal was far from smooth.
A usual member of the starting XI for manager Erik ten Hag, Rashford was curiously dropped to the bench for Saturday’s game just hours before kickoff. Ten Hag told BT Sport that the move was for “internal disciplinary” reasons involving the 25-year-old, but neglected to expand on the situation further.
After a scoreless first half, Rashford was called upon as a sub, coming on after the halftime break for Alejandro Garnacho. He broke through just over a half hour later when he danced through a series of Wolves defenders and sent a shot past goalkeeper José Sá into the back of the net in the 76th minute.
Rashford’s 11th goal of the campaign was all that United needed to seal to 1–0 win. The victory also gave the club a much-needed three points to remain in fourth-place in the table headed into 2023.
After the match, Rashford and ten Hag celebrated together on the field, seemingly dismissing any idea of a larger rift between the two. The star forward then spoke to reporters for the first time since his benching and explained that he was dropped because he was late to a meeting after oversleeping.
“It’s obviously the team rules. I think it’s a mistake that can happen and I’m obviously disappointed not to play, but I understand the decision,” Rashford said, per BT Sport. “I’m obviously happy that we managed to win the game anyway so yeah I think we can draw a line in it and move on.”
Ten Hag also didn’t appear to be harboring any resentment toward Rashford after his dazzling goal when addressing the forward’s stint as a super-sub.
“He was bright, he was lively, he scored a goal, that is the right reaction,” Ten Hag said after the win. “Everyone has to match rules and values and if you react like this, it is the right answer.”
