EPL: Rashford, Martial give United victory in Manchester Derby

Manchester United battled to a 2-1 win against rivals Manchester City on Saturday as the resurgence of the Red Devils continued.

Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial got the goals that helped United surge to the fifth position and also close the gap to fourth place in the Premier League to five points.

Rashford got the curtain-raiser with a penalty on 23 minutes after VAR ruled a handball by Bernardo Silva.

The goal meant Rashford equalled his season-best tally of 13 in all competitions.

Just six minutes later Martial doubled United’s lead by drilling a low shot past Ederson.

An 84th-minute header by Nicolas Otamendi off Riyad Mahrez’s corner helped pull one back for City, but the furious rally at the Etihad ultimately came short.

The result made it back-to-back wins for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side, following Wednesday’s 2-1 victory against Tottenham.

Manchester City stay third in the league with the loss, and Leicester City have the chance to go six points clear of the champions in second if they beat Aston Villa on Sunday.

Now 14 points adrift, Saturday’s result means City must recover the largest points deficit in Premier League history if they are to retain their title.

On their part, United have won back-to-back games for the first time this season, and now sit just five points off the top four to ease the pressure off Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s shoulders at least for now.