Van Gaal hails ‘special talent’ Rashford and apologises for tumble

The United manager theatrically threw himself to the ground in front of the fourth official, mocking what he thought was diving by Arsenal players during his side’s crucial 3-2 win.

Arsenal have just two wins from their last five league games and are falling off the pace behind the Foxes and North London rivals Spurs, who won 2-1 at Swansea to move three points above Arsenal. His performance was better than the first match. “We struggled to be risky because United defended very well”.

For his first goal, the young striker was lurking 12 meters out as Gabriel failed to adequately clear Guillermo Varela’s cross.

Arsenal succumbed to two goals from 18-year-old Premier League debutant Marcus Rashford, who scored twice on his Europa League bow three days earlier, while United also blooded Tim Fosu-Mensah, 18, and James Weir, 20, as substitutes.

With his direct running and composure, Rashford is showing no fear on the biggest stage and demonstrated to Van Gaal that the Dutchman has had a goal poacher at his disposal all along during the team’s rough patch this season.

“Four goals in two matches is an average that’s unusual”.

Barely anyone outside Old Trafford had heard of Marcus Rashford less than week ago – now the teenage United striker is a household name across the country.

“That is why we have a small selection because then you can give youngsters a chance”, he is quoted as saying by BBC Sport. I said that to Warren [Joyce] and Warren has tried him out in the second team, and I think he did it very well.

Welbeck played in Ozil who neat lofted pass sent Nacho Monreal through into the right side of the box, but he bustled over his shot which was blocked at point-blank range by the advancing David De Gea.

In his post-match briefing, Van Gaal said his actions were driven by emotions though adding that he has apologised to the match officials over the same.

Louis van Gaal has explained the reasons behind his theatrical touchline dive against Arsenal.

“There’s a word I want to use, but I can’t use it, which describes a lack of something that real players have and this Arsenal team lack it in abundance, just don’t have it, none”.

When asked how bad the loss was in relation to other failures at Old Trafford, Wenger said: “I don’t know”.