Erik ten Hag lauded Marcus Rashford's intuition and challenged the rest of the Manchester United forwards to conjure up "crazy stuff" in the final third.
Rashford scored his 10th goal in as many games in the sixth minute of United's 3-0 League Cup semi-final first-leg win at Nottingham Forest.
Since the club season resumed, Rashford has only failed to score in one game and he is already four goals shy of his season-best tally of 22 from the 2019-20 campaign.
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"There are more players who are playing really well but I am happy with Marcus's performance and his development," Ten Hag said. "From the start of the season he is growing and he keeps doing that and what we have to aim for with him, and he is responsible for that, is to keep this process going. If he is in this mood, this spirit he is unstoppable and it's about the team to get him in the right positions.
"Also, in possession, we have a plan but finally is also the intuition, the creativity of an individual like Rashy is to create chances.
"We have some of it like Rashy, Bruno (Fernandes), Antony definitely as well, Jadon Sancho is one, (Anthony) Martial is one. We need such type of players. Christian Eriksen, don't forget him.
"Be creative in the final third and do something no one expects, some crazy stuff that has to be also in a team's fantasy and adventure."
Forest had a goal disallowed in the 21st minute and the match was destined to be tighter until Wout Weghorst pounced in the 45th minute to give United a 2-0 lead.
Bruno Fernandes all but killed the tie by rifling into the bottom corner in the 89th minute to secure United's first domestic away win by more than one goal. Ten Hag was particularly pleased with United's application after two disappointing results at Crystal Palace and Arsenal last week.
"I think from the result perspective, we bounced back good, quite clear," Ten Hag added. "And I think the performance over 90 minutes was also okay, there was one moment in the game that could have changed the game, and we have to avoid that, it's a learning moment in a way to develop a really good team.
"But all over the first 20 minutes was all ours and we played really well on the ball and from the start, of course a great goal by Rashy again with that opening goal but after that we create some good chances.
"And then we allow them to almost come back in the game. It can't happen, so it's a learning moment from that perspective. Second-half was much better, much calmer, we never allowed them a counter, we created some half chances to finish early on, 3-0 would be better.
"But the 2-0 just before half-time was an important one because that brought calmness to the team and it was a great action from Antony and the rebound from Wout Weghorst, he's a striker, it's why we got him in."
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