Harbinger Of Glory

It happened quickly as a pass from Bruno sent him into space behind McClean, and Rashford was suddenly running at the Wigan defence with room ahead of him.

Tilt shifted across, causing Rashford to slow down a bit as McClean recovered!

A second later, the Manchester United product shaped to go outside but then pushed the ball beyond him.

McClean turned and chased, his pace keeping him in the fight as the two went on.

Rashford reached and poked the ball ahead, straining to outmuscle James McClean, but he got the opposite of what he wanted instead, with McClean proving much tougher!

That little push took Rashford’s feet away from him as McClean went on to claim the ball, but then, as he did, Michael Oliver’s whistle sounded.

McClean immediately turned around, trying to see what the whistle was for, but he was livid when he found Michael Oliver pointing towards the spot where Rashford was.

”What?”McClean said, straining while walking back before spreading his arms.

”We both went for it!” he said, but Oliver kept his hands right where they were.

”Shoulder. You caught him.”

”Of course I caught him. It was a shoulder challenge that he initiated,” McClean disputed, but before it could go on any longer, Leo appeared, pulling the veteran away lest it develop into something more than a foul!

”That’s another foul from Wigan,” Drury said as the camera followed the players resetting. ”And might become concerning for Dawson soon!”

Carragher agreed.

”It might. They’re already committing too many this early on. It’s four fouls to United’s one in these opening minutes.

That’s not necessarily a problem by itself, but when you’re playing Manchester United and giving Bruno and Eriksen free-kick situations around the final third, you’re asking for trouble.”

Back on the pitch, United didn’t waste time.

Dalot picked up the ball, placed it down and looked toward the box calmly.

Then he played it short to McTominay.

The Scottish player took a touch and immediately threaded the ball between the two Wigan players who were closing in on the space around him.

Bruno, the intended target once more, received the ball with his back to goal and found Leo breathing down his neck!

He chose to go inside, but right as he did, Reyes appeared, anticipating the pass he thought Bruno was going to play, but then, with the inside of his right foot, Bruno touched the ball back in the direction he was coming from, throwing Leo off.

Then he played toward Rashford and then spun away, receiving it again almost immediately.

Leo still followed as Bruno, without keeping the ball, touched it back into the space behind McClean, sending Rashford’s feet spiralling towards goal!

”Bruno again, and Rashford is away!”

Marcus Rashford pushed the ball forward and began angling toward the byline as McClean slowly caught up.

Leo dropped out of the picture for a second, caught behind the movement as Bruno cut his run off, angling his very own into the box.

Rashford reached the edge of the box, and it was as clear as day what he wanted to do.

He looked up, spotted numbers inside the box and didn’t need any more telling!

He angled himself well and then dragged the ball, or at least tried to do so, into the box, because the moment he did, Leo arrived and slid.

His thigh caught the ball before it could travel across the six-yard box.

It ricocheted away and bounced behind for a corner right as Rashford stopped and looked back.

Leo was already on his feet by then, patting the grass pellets off his shorts.

All around, the home supporters applauded the attack while the Wigan end responded with their own cheers for the block that had been made!

”What a recovery from Leo Calderon!” Drury said. ”Rashford had the cross he wanted, and Calderon appeared from nowhere to take it away.”

Immediately after this, Leo turned and ran straight toward his own box, where the team box was already being filled with bodies, and Whatmough was organising the defence when Leo entered.

”Leo!” he said, and Leo looked over.

”Take him,” Whatmough said, pointing toward the edge of the area where Eriksen had settled.

Leo, who was heading towards McTominay, stopped and turned towards Eriksen before nodding.

But then, as he did, he stretched a hand towards McTominay, who was standing unmarked in the Wigan box.

”Don’t leave him free,” he said as Whatmough followed his gesture and nodded.

”We’ve got him.”

Leo turned back toward Eriksen and settled beside the latter while some metres away, Garnacho stood over the ball.

Seeing his mates settle in the Wigan half, he raised his arm, and instantly, they began moving again.

Jake, instructed by Whatmough, took on Scott McTominay right as the cross came in, a delectable ball that any set-piece taker would be proud of.

The ball climbed as it reached the box, rising, and then it began curling away from the goal.

”Garnacho delivers...”

”...and it’s dangerous!”

At the far post, McTominay found space, and he found it well!

Jake was right in front of him and with the ball eagerly coming his way, McTominay rose to meet it.

He lunged, and lunging with him was Jake, but the United midfielder had already got himself into position.

”It’s McTominay!” Peter Drury called eagerly as the Scottish head met the ball.

The header came back across goal with serious pace, and Amos reacted immediately.

He took a step, and then another as the ball glanced towards the opposite side of the goal.

He was moving to meet it when a red shirt came flying through the six-yard box, crashing into the ball, without any intended design of how the goal was going to be scored.

It worked as Amos barely had time to react, and before anyone else could catch up, the ball and Rasmus Højlund both crashed into the net, and it didn’t take much to bring the large room apart!

”GOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLLL,” the Manchester crowd erupted as the striker got back to his feet and immediately grabbed the front of his shirt.