Former Manchester United midfielder Paul Scholes waxed lyrical about Jadon Sancho and Marcus Rashford after they both scored to help the Reds beat Liverpool 2-1 at Old Trafford on Monday night.
After losing each of their opening two Premier League matches, United produced their best performance in several months to secure their first win of the Erik ten Hag era and down their arch rivals. Sancho and Rashford scored either side of half-time to put the home side in command before Mohamed Salah reduced the deficit late on with a header.
The victory was nothing more than United deserved, with Ten Hag's brave selection calls paying dividends. Raphael Varane and Tyrell Malacia were outstanding at the back, joining forces with Lisandro Martinez, who produced his best showing in a United shirt to date.
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Sancho, who blew the roof off Old Trafford with just 16 minutes gone, was excellent up front, as was Rashford, who picked the ideal moment to net his first goal since January. And for Scholes, the performances of both players left a lasting impression, with Liverpool failing to deal with either of them.
"That is the level of composure we have come to expect of him and we have seen him at Dortmund for a couple of years," Scholes told Premier League Productions, reflecting on Sancho's opener. "OK, he had a difficult season last season in a difficult team, but the composure he showed here [for his goal] was brilliant.
"It is not always easy to do this. You're in a crowded box, you have to think and it takes real talent to do this. It is a great bit of skill and he puts James Milner and the goalkeeper down, allowing him to open himself up and slide it past the 'keeper into the corner.
"I thought he was good, just as I did with Marcus. I thought he was as good as he has been in the last two or three years. He was a real threat on the counter-attack, running through, and Liverpool really struggled to deal with him."
With Cristiano Ronaldo dropped to the bench and replaced by Anthony Elanga, Rashford moved into the centre of the front three in the first half, before moving out to the left in the second half following Anthony Martial's introduction.
Scholes, hailing Rashford's goal, continued: "This is where he is a big threat. Again, the ball breaks and as soon as he gets on his bike there is no stopping him.
"We thought he may have been offside but obviously he timed it perfectly. It was a good finish, but, again, I am a little bit disappointed with the goalkeeper; you wouldn't be able to usually slide it in at the near-post and he gives him much too much of a gap to the right-hand side of him.
"But give him credit, this is what Marcus is good at. He has had a really tough time, he's low on confidence and I am hoping that this will do him the world of good."
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