Politics
‘Sums this season up’ – Man Utd fans can’t believe Anthony Elanga tackled Marcus Rashford when he was through on goal
MARCUS RASHFORD thought he was through on goal in the 95th minute against Leicester this afternoon… until he was thwarted by his own team-mate Anthony Elanga.
Despite the absences of Cristiano Ronaldo and Edinson Cavani, Manchester United interim boss Ralf Rangnick opted to select NO ONE upfront – while leaving Rashford on the bench.
Marcus Rashford looked to have darted through on goalGetty
EPAAnthony Elanga inadvertently took out Rashford[/caption]
The German did turn to the 24-year-old in the 55th minute, bringing him on for Scott McTominay when the midfielder found himself at risk of getting sent off.
James Maddison subsequently gave Leicester the lead, before Fred equalised just three minutes later.
With their top four hopes on the line, the Red Devils desperately searched for a late winner – despite being largely outplayed by the Foxes.
In the 95th minute it appeared the moment had finally come, when Rashford skipped by Daniel Amartey and Hamza Choudhury.
READ MORE ON MAN UTD
He was then bundled over for what seemed certain to be a certain penalty… only for the offside flag to go up.
The flag was raised because Anthony Elanga had gotten in Rashford’s way, touching the ball while offside in the process.
Upon further inspection, it appeared to actually be Elanga that brought his team-mate down – rather than the nearby Timothy Castagne.
The Swede had tried to swivel and shoot himself, rather than leaving the ball to Rashford, who would have had the goal at his mercy.
Most read in Football
GRAND NATIONAL BETTING SPECIAL – LATEST OFFERS AND DEALS
Elanga’s attempted strike achieved nothing but swiping his pal’s legs out from beneath him.
Rashford put his arms up in surprise, before slamming the turf with his fists in frustration.
Responding to the incident, one fan wrote: “Not sure anything sums this season up more than Elanga tackling Rashford in the box when he was through on goal, what a club.”
Another claimed: “That would’ve been a penalty if Elanga didn’t stupidly touch that.”
A third joked: “Yes, that should have been a red card for Elanga after taking out Rashford in a goalscoring position.”
And a fourth pointed out: “Imagine the outrage if Rashford was the one who stopped Elanga from scoring.”
The result leaves Man United sixth in the table – level on points with fifth-placed Tottenham, who now possess a game in hand.
Fourth-placed Arsenal remain three points above the Red Devils – having played TWO games fewer.
EPARashford, 24, couldn’t believe his bad luck[/caption]