Rashford razes Leipzig

Super sub Marcus Rashford scored a clinical second-half hat-trick as Manchester United thrashed German league leader RB Leipzig 5-0 to seize control of Champions League Group H on Wednesday.

Mason Greenwood looked like grabbing the headlines with his first-half strike but Rashford came off the bench to remind United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer that he is the main man at Old Trafford, while Anthony Martial also got in on the act.

Rashford, who scored three times in an 18-minute blitz, is only the second United player to score a hat-trick as a substitute after Solskjaer himself performed the feat against Nottingham Forest in 1999.

United, which endured a torrid start to its season, is perfect in Group H after building on its impressive opening win against Paris Saint-Germain.

"Marcus Rashford came on and did well but the groundwork was there from the team, that's what you want from the subs," Solskjaer told BT Sport."What a shift they put in. Leipzig are a high press, the intensity, so we had to dig deep.

"We had to rest a few because the season is relentless, so we used the squad. This group is coming together. The more quality and spirit you have, the more you get the performance."

Alex Telles was absent from the United squad after testing positive for coronavirus. Donny van de Beek and Paul Pogba started in United's midfield and were among five changes to the starting XI made by Solskjaer, with the Norwegian mindful that his team faces Arsenal in the Premier League on Sunday.

"We made some changes today because of Sunday as you have to be ready for that," said Solskjaer."In the league you have a game less than other teams as well. We need to pick up points."

Rashford, last week's hero against PSG, and Bruno Fernandes were surprisingly left on the bench.

"It was a bit crazy because after they scored the first goal, we did well. The final 20 minutes were very bad," said Leipzig coach Julian Nagelsmann.

On whether the first goal was offside, Nagelsmann said:"We can defend it better, that's the more important topic for me as the manager. You can follow the deep run and then normally it's no trouble."

Agencies