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Man Utd defender Luke Shaw says his teammate Marcus Rashford was ‘clever’ to leave the ball for Bruno Fernandes for their opening goal in Sunday’s Manchester Derby.
Rashford was in an offside position for Man Utd’s equaliser against Man City at Old Trafford, but left the ball for Fernandes to sweep home. But City’s players, manager and supporters have been left furious with the decision to allow the goal to stand.
The visitors believe that Rashford was interfering with play in the build-up. The goal was given, with the hosts netting a second soon after following Jack Grealish’s opener.
Man Utd defender praises ‘clever’ Rashford
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Man Utd’s Shaw, who was again handed a starting role at centre-back ahead of the likes of Lisandro Martinez and Harry Maguire, has praised his teammate Rashford for the role he played in the crucial goal.
But Shaw also empathised with his opponents, noting that the United team would have reacted in the same way had the goal been given against them.
As reported by LiveScore, Shaw commented: “Of course, you can understand where they are coming from – if I’m on the other team we’re all doing the same – but I think Rashy was clever to know that Bruno was there and leave the ball. For me it was a goal.”
Ten Hag’s men continue fine run
The win saw Erik ten Hag’s side move just one point behind their fierce rivals, with City second on 39 points and United fourth on 38, level with Newcastle.
The win represents a continued fine run of form for Man Utd, who have amassed 38 points since the win against Liverpool in August, with no other Premier League team picking up more during that period.
Man Utd have a busy few weeks ahead, beginning with a league meeting at Crystal Palace on Wednesday. This is followed by a huge fixture against Arsenal on Sunday.
The Red Devils then have two successive cup matches, firstly taking on Nottingham Forest in the first leg of the League Cup semi-final, before an FA Cup fourth round match against Reading.
Man Utd defender not getting carried away
The superb form has got many Man Utd fans dreaming of a return to Premier League glory, but Shaw has confirmed that he is definitely not getting carried away.
“It’s too early to think about that [winning the league],” said Shaw. “Right now as a team we have to make sure we have the right consistency in performances and results.
“It’s always about winning. If you play well or not you need to be winning, and recently we’ve been doing that. We’ve not been playing our best but we’ve still been winning games.
“We’re still in four competitions. We’re Manchester United, we have to aim high, and of course we want to win all four but whether that happens or not is down to us, it’s down to the way we act, the way we rest and get ready for the next game.
“Now we have to forget about this game, forget about this win. We have a massive game on Wednesday against Crystal Palace.”
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