Manchester United remain firmly in the hunt for a top-four finish following Thursday night’s hard-fought 2-0 win over Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park.It was important that the Red Devils bounced back from Monday night’s disappointing 2-2 draw against Southampton with a win, especially after fourth-placed Leicester City beat Sheffield United 2-0.And they did just that thanks to goals either side of half-time from Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial.The two Man Utd forwards were in red-hot form against Palace and both netted their 22nd goals of the season.Ole Gunnar Solskjaer praised the strike duo after the match and is pleased with how their on-field relationship continues to blossom."It was a tight game but two fantastic goals won it for us,” Solskjaer was quoted as saying by the Mirror."Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial are enjoying themselves, when they go out onto the pitch for a shift, they go out with a smile and they defend each other too."When we got the second goal, that is when they started strutting about. They are a handful to play against. I am glad I don't play against them. They need to trust themselves more.”
On the subject of defending each other, United fans on social media enjoyed an incident involving Rashford and Martial towards the end of the match.When Wilfried Zaha fronted up to Rashford following a tussle for the ball, Martial immediately stepped onto the scene to stick up for his teammate.This was the original incident between Zaha and Rashford…But Martial’s presence ensured that Zaha walked away from United’s No. 10.
Here’s a selection of tweets from United fans, who are loving the bromance between Martial and Rashford…
After the match, Rashford even posted a tweet specifically about his French teammate.
“My guy @AnthonyMartial,” the England international wrote, alongside a photo of the pair of them.
Their stats are remarkably similar this season and that will also please Solskjaer.
As well as the same number of goals, they’ve also registered the same number of assists (eight).
Their minutes-per-goal contribution records are almost identical, too.
Rashford’s 100 minutes per goal contribution is marginally better than Martial’s 104 minutes.