Marcus Rɑshford of Manchester United faced criticism for his ‘pressing’ tactics during the match agɑinst Luton Town on Sunday. Despite securing a narrow 2-1 victory, the individual performances and the overall gameplay highlighted areas for improvement if Manchester United aims to close the gap on teams like Aston Villa and Tottenham.

One particular moment garnered attention on social media, featuring Rashford attempting to impede Ross Barkley’s progress up the pitch late in the game. While Rashford pressed, he maintained a considerable distance from Barkley, never attempting a tackle. When Barkley couldn’t go around Rashford to the right, he reversed direction and easily maneuvered around the 26-year-old forward to the left.

Although this strategic move by Barkley consumed valuable time in Luton’s quest for a late equalizer, it left Manchester United fans unimpressed, as Barkley navigated around Rashford effortlessly, evading any pressure. A video clip circulating on social media humorously captioned the incident as ‘Top pressing by Rashford. Don’t know how Ross Barkley got past him.’

In response to the video, some fans expressed their disappointment, with one user suggesting Rashford could be swapped for a bag of strawberry bonbons, and another humorously proposing that a Jaffa cake would be a better distraction for Barkley than Rashford. Some remarked on the serious nature of the situation, while others found humor in Rashford’s approach, with one user suggesting that Rashford ‘trusts his teammates’ accompanied by a laughing emoji.

Rasmus Hojlund played a crucial role at Kenilworth Road, scoring within the first 40 seconds and later securing an ‘outrageous’ goal with his chest. Despite claims that it was ɑccidеntɑl, Hojlund insisted he intended to score the goal. His early goal set a record as the youngest player to score in six consecutive Premier League games, achieving this feat just 14 days after his 21st birthday.

Manchester United’s next Premier League match is against Fulham next Saturday.