Man Utd’s Anthony Martial scored outrageously good penalty in Man City defeat
Martial #Martial
Anthony Martial somehow managed to save face for Manchester United during the closing stages of their humiliating 6-3 defeat to Manchester City on Sunday.
The French striker had seriously impressed under Erik ten Hag throughout pre-season, but sadly saw his momentum stunted by a run of injuries that ruled him out of the start of the new campaign.
And even now that Martial has regained the fitness necessary to make his mark in Ten Hag’s new-look side, it’s fair to say that he was given somewhat of a thankless task at the Etihad Stadium this weekend.
Martial enters chaotic Manchester derby
That’s because the 26-year-old was introduced to the Manchester derby in place of Marcus Rashford when the Red Devils were trailing 4-1 in what was turning out to be a catastrophic day at the office.
And although Antony had just rescued a slither of pride for the visitors with a goal just before Martial entered the action, City soon tightened the screw again as they raced into a nauseating 6-1 lead.
In fact, United were looking at the very real possibility of conceding seven, eight or even nine goals by the time that Erling Haaland and Phil Foden both wrapped up their own hat-tricks.
However, perhaps understandably, City did take their foot off the gas in the closing seconds of the game, which allowed Martial to add to his impressive record of scoring against the ‘Noisy Neighbours’.
Martial saves face with a brace
First, Martial pulled a goal back using his poacher’s instincts as he headed home from close range upon Ederson parrying a shot by Fred that was created by some great work from Luke Shaw.
But it was actually Martial’s second and final goal of the game that was most impressive, which is quite some feat when you consider that it was scored from the penalty spot.
With Cristiano Ronaldo twiddling his thumbs on the bench and Bruno Fernandes coming out second best from a chat with Martial, it was the Frenchman who assumed responsibilities from 12 yards in stoppage time.
And frankly, he proceeded to produce one of the greatest spot-kicks that we’ve seen in the Premier League over the past few years.
Ederson guessing the right way meant absolutely nothing as Martial took off the handbrake and swung for the fences with an inch-perfect strike that could hardly have nestled further into the top corner if he tried.
So, United fans looking to console themselves, be sure to wipe away the tears of derby day defeat by at least enjoying the fact that Martial scored one of the finest penalties you’re likely to see:
Video: Martial scores outrageous penalty vs Man Utd
Yeah, there’s no chance five Edersons are getting anywhere near that.
One of the best penalties of recent years
There’s always something satisfying about a penalty that jaw-droppingly accurate with Xabi Alonso, Djibril Cisse and Memphis Depay all having achieved similar feats for Spain, Panathinaikos and Barcelona respectively.
And while Martial’s effort maybe wasn’t quite good enough to still be racking up millions of views on YouTube ten years down the line, you can rest assured that it’s about as accurate as a penalty can possibly get.
As such, while the United dressing room will undoubtedly be gutted with such a crushing result, Martial will know at the back of his mind that he made a real statement from a personal perspective.
The fact remains that Martial looks like a force to be reckoned with under Ten Hag. Besides, what more can you ask from a forward brought on while their team is getting pumped 4-1?