By Peter Hall
MANCHESTER, England (Reuters) – In-form Marcus Rashford scored a late winner as Manchester United came from behind to beat rivals Manchester City 2-1 on Saturday, a victory that moves them to within a point of the champions in the Premier League standings.
The hosts had the best chances of a tense first half at Old Trafford, with in-form England forward Rashford seeing a tame effort blocked on the line by Manuel Akanji, while City struggled to get going.
City were much improved after the break, and the pressure told as Jack Grealish stepped off the bench to head his side into the lead in the 61st minute, on the end of a superb cross from the ever-reliable assist-maker Kevin De Bruyne.
However, with United looking second best, they produced a remarkable turnaround, out of nowhere, to turn the match on its head.
There was an element of controversy about United’s equaliser in the 78th minute, with Rashford initially flagged offside as Bruno Fernandes swept the ball home, with the goal given following a VAR review.
Rashford was then the hero once again for United, scoring for the seventh successive match in all competitions to snatch a thrilling late win for the hosts, who made it nine victories in a row in all competitions to close the gap to City in second.
(Reporting by Peter Hall; Editing by Christian Radnedge)
