WATCH: Manchester United star Marcus Rashford disappoints with finish as he fails to convert excellent team move in Community Shield clash
Manchester United lost the Community Shield to Pep Guardiola's Manchester City despite taking the lead on Saturday, August 10. Marcus Rashford, Bruno Fernandes, Mason Mount, and Amad Diallo started in attack for United and both teams had a cautious start to the match.
One of the key moments in the match came in the 36th minute as Erik Ten Hag's men orchestrated a beautiful attack, but Rashford failed to provide the finish.
It all started with Bruno Fernandes from the right side of midfield. The Portuguese midfielder played a one-two with Amad Diallo and made a run towards the penalty box after laying the ball off for Casemiro. The Brazilian midfielder passed it to Kobbie Mainoo and after receiving the ball again, played a through-ball to set Marcus Rashford one-on-one with Ederson.
However, the English forward couldn't curl his right-footed shot enough to enter the net and the chance was squandered. Watch the clip of the attack below:
Manchester United eventually took the lead in the 82nd minute thanks to substitute Alejandro Garnacho, but it was cancelled out by Bernardo Silva's strike in the 89th minute.
In the ensuing penalty shootout, Silva's miss gave United an early advantage but the Cityzens converted their remaining penalties and won the Shield after misses from Jadon Sancho and Jonny Evans.
"Very ambitious and motivated" - Manchester United boss on Marcus Rashford before the FA Community Shield
Manchester United manager Erik Ten Hag believes that Marcus Rashford will be back to his best this season as he is very motivated and working hard. The 26-year-old experienced a dramatic drop in numbers last season and scored just eight goals in 43 appearances for his club.
This drop in form also resulted in the English forward not getting selected by Gareth Southgate for England's Euro 2024 squad.
However, Erik Ten Hag is optimistic and believes Rashford will resurrect himself this season. In an interview before the FA Community Shield, he said (via The Independent):
“He’s in very good shape already and we expect a lot, as we expect from the whole team a lot this season. There are so many suggestions around Manchester United and around this team. So we know the truth and he’s working very well, very hard, very engaged. And he’s very ambitious and motivated to make it a very good season.”
Marcus Rashford also signed a new contract last summer that will keep him at the club until 2028. United will be hoping that the Englishman can re-discover his form and guide the club to a top-four finish in the Premier League.