Marcus Rashford has shown once again what Manchester United are missing. The Barcelona loanee provided two assists as the Spanish giants cruised to a 4-2 victory over Celta Vigo on Sunday night. Robert Lewandowski took the lead within the first 15 minutes with a goal from the penalty spot past Ionut Radu. Moments later, Sergio Carreira leveled the score with a run through Hansi Flick’s high defensive line.
Lewandowski got Barcelona back in front before the interval, connecting with a perfect cross from Rashford. Celta Vigo hit back again with Borja Iglesias firing a shot past Wojciech Szczesny. Lamine Yamal extended the advantage for the away team by scoring in stoppage time just before half-time. Rashford found his teenage sensation far beyond and turned creator once again.
Lewandowski secured the victory in the second period, completing his hat trick. Flick’s side cut the gap at the top of the table to just three points as Rayo Vallecano kept Real Madrid in a stalemate.
After the match, Rashford acknowledged the result in a post on Instagram, which had racked up nearly half a million likes by Monday morning. He wrote: “Three more points are important. We will continue to work as a team.”
David de Gea and Bruno Fernandes were among the thousands of fans who liked the post. Barcelona coach Flick was pleased with his team’s performance over the weekend, telling ESPN:
“I’m very grateful for what we saw today. At the moment, especially in the first half, we made some mistakes, more than in the second half. And they took advantage of that. Two mistakes for goals.”
“But what I saw was that we controlled the game even in the first half. It was a really good game on the ball and our defense was better, especially in the second half.”
“I think the second half will give us confidence for the next game. That’s what we need. If we can put pressure on the opponent, that’s a good way to go. We did that. I like what we saw, especially in the second half.”
Earlier this month, Rashford vowed to step up his game, and he has done just that. In an interview with Spain’s Mundo Deportivo, the 28-year-old said: “I’m trying to do my best.
“We could have done better against Elche. We are not completely satisfied with our overall performance, so we promise to improve. We will work hard to win. We will take it one game at a time.”
“We have to continue to play as a team. This is Barça and the demands must always be the highest.”
