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Anthony Martial scored in the las few minutes of the game in stunning fashion, beating two defenders with skill and scoring at the end of the run. It was a move reminiscent of a Premier League great, one who the youngster has already drawn comparisons too as they are compatriots – Thierry Henry.
In the process of scoring his debut goal for the English giants, the French Striker not only beat Martin Skrtel and Nathaniel Clyne but he would nutmeg the Slovakian too before slotting past Simon Mignolet. The goal came at a point in the game when Liverpool had just scored and were looking to get something out of the game having reduced the deficit through a stunning strike from Christian Benteke.
Martial restored the 2-goal lead for his side, making the final few minutes a lot easier on his team. He will be glad to get his first goal out of the way after seeing a lot of criticism from many quarters over his big money move from AS Monaco.
Funnily enough, both Martial and Theirry Henry scored the similar goals against the same opposition. They beat 2 defenders in the process and finished the run with a similar strike.
It may be premature to say that the player is in Henry’s mould but the strike was definitely reminiscent of the Premier league and Arsenal great. It will boost Martial’s confidence but also set a benchmark for the youngster to live up to in the upcoming games.
Though, arguably the biggest rivalry in English football, Manchester United and Liverpool showed few signs of producing a fiercely contested game in the first half. It was a dampener as the two sides cancelled each other out in midfield and neither could find a telling contribution from any corner of the pitch. The visitors looking like they were desperately missing Philippe Coutinho, while the home side did little despite having almost a full contingent bar captain Wayne Rooney.
The second half, thankfully was an entirely different story to the first as Daley Blind scored early to set the tone for the game. Ander Herrera would double the lead from the penalty spot after he was brought down by Joe Gomez in the danger area.
Despite Benteke’s sublime goal of the season contender, Liverpool were not able to salvage anything from Old Trafford as Martial would see to it that he restored United’s lead before Liverpool could think about a comeback.
Here is Martial’s goal side-by-side with Henry’s goal:
