Marcus Rashford admitted that Manchester United's players were thrilled for Wout Weghorst after he scored his first Old Trafford goal during Thursday night's 4-1 Europa League win over Real Betis.
The Dutchman, who joined United on loan from Burnley for the remainder of the season in January, netted the Reds' fourth goal of the contest, meaning they will head into the second leg of their last-16 showdown with the Spanish side next week with one foot already in the quarter-finals. The striker turned the ball home from close range after Scott McTominay's effort was parried into his path by Claudio Bravo.
Weghorst, who had scored just once prior to the win over Betis, was evidently relieved to have ended his goal drought in an emotion-filled celebration. The Reds, following Ayoze Perez's first-half equaliser, had cranked up the pressure during the second half, thanks to earlier goals from Antony and Bruno Fernandes.
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While both goals were important for the aforementioned duo, it was Weghorst's that meant the most. And for Rashford, who had fired United in front early in the first half with his 26th goal of the campaign, it was a moment that sent a positive feeling through the team.
Asked if Weghorst's goal meant a lot to the team, Rashford, speaking to BT Sport, said: "Yes, 100 per cent. He is a forward, he gets joy from scoring goals.
"As good as he works hard and does all the other stuff, he wants to score goals, so yes, everyone is really pleased for him."
Following Sunday's 7-0 mauling against Liverpool at Anfield, it was the perfect response that United manager Erik ten Hag was looking for. However, Rashford warned that they must now build on the result in coming games, starting against Southampton on Sunday.
"It is a step back in the right direction," he added. "Obviously we have to build on this now to gain momentum again, but we can't put too much emphasis on Sunday [vs Liverpool] - it's gone and we can't change it.
"We have to look forward now to the next games."
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