March 4th 2024.
During Sunday's highly anticipated Manchester derby, Phil Foden's equaliser for Manchester City caused quite a stir. After Marcus Rashford scored a stunning goal to put Manchester United ahead, it seemed that they were well on their way to securing a crucial victory.
However, City's relentless attacking pressure eventually paid off, with Foden scoring a spectacular goal to level the score. Some, including former United striker Michael Owen, have pointed the finger at Rashford for his role in the goal.
Owen believes that Rashford's decision to stay down and appeal for a foul after a tangle with Kyle Walker was unnecessary and ultimately cost his team. He argues that Rashford should have focused on controlling the ball before trying to cut across his man, and that he could have potentially prevented the goal if he had been in a better defensive position.
But Rashford wasn't the only one to come under fire for the equaliser. City manager Erik ten Hag was also left fuming at the decision, receiving a yellow card for his protests. However, Owen believes that both Rashford and ten Hag have no one to blame but themselves.
"I thought it was the correct decision to not give a foul," Owen said on Optus Sport after the game. "I don't know why Rashford was trying to run across his man in the first place. He wasn't even in control of the ball. You have to control the ball first before trying to cut across your man. It was called spot on."
He goes on to explain that if Rashford hadn't been lying on the ground appealing for a foul, he would have been in a better position to defend against Foden's goal. This is a sentiment shared by fellow ex-United player Paul Scholes, who believes that Rashford was too preoccupied with trying to get past Kyle Walker and forgot about the ball.
"It happened two or three times," Scholes said. "He was conscious of Kyle Walker and forgot about the ball. Walker has that influence on people because he's so quick."
Overall, it seems that Rashford's decision to stay down and appeal for a foul may have cost Manchester United the game. But as both Owen and Scholes point out, the blame cannot solely be placed on Rashford. City's relentless attacking threat and United's defensive lapses also played a significant role in the outcome of the game.
Despite the disappointing result, United fans can take solace in the fact that their team put up a strong fight against their fierce rivals. With the title race heating up, it's clear that both Manchester teams will be giving it their all in the remaining matches of the season.
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