Eric ten Hagg’s faith in Marcus Rashford has paid off with his 30th goal of the season.

Manchester United defeated Chelsea 4-1 in the 32nd round (netted) of the 2022-23 English Premier League (EPL) season at Old Trafford in Manchester, England, at 4:00 a.m. ET on 26 April. With the win, United leapfrogged into third place with 22 wins, six draws and nine defeats (72 points), opening up a six-point gap on ‘fifth-placed’ Liverpool and securing a place in next season’s UCL.

United put Chelsea under intense pressure from the start먹튀검증. The motivation was high, especially in Van Gaal’s first season at the helm, and it showed against Chelsea on the final day of the season.

United took the lead early on. Casemiro opened the scoring in the sixth minute before Anthony Martial added a second in first-half stoppage time to seal the win.

In the second half, Van Gaal made a number of changes. He brought on the likes of Tyrrell Malacia, Alejandro Garnacho and Fred to try and keep the momentum going, before Bruno Fernandes scored his side’s third goal in the 28th minute to effectively end the game.

Rashford also joined the scoring spree. Five minutes after Bruno’s goal, Rashford took advantage of a mistake in the opposition defence and calmly slotted the ball home after Kepa Arrizabala had been beaten by the keeper. United conceded a late goal through Joao Felix, but it wasn’t enough to change the outcome of the game, as United ran out 4-1 winners and booked their place in the UCL.

Rashford’s final goal of the night took him to 30 goals in all competitions this season. According to football statistics outlet Opta, Rashford is the first United player to reach 30 goals in a season since Robin van Persie did so in 2012-13.

Rashford’s breakout season has also drawn attention to the leadership of Van Gaal, who has put his faith in him. Van Gaal started Rashford on the left wing against Brighton in his first league game in charge of United this season. Rashford, who was criticised last season for focusing on charity work rather than football, scored just five goals in 32 games in 2021-22, but has been a completely different player this season, netting 30 times.

It’s a testament to Van Gaal’s shrewdness that he recognised Rashford’s potential from the first game. European football transfer market expert Fabrizio Romano also applauded Van Gaal on social media on the 26th, saying: “It’s been a fantastic season for Rashford, but you have to give him credit for believing in him from day one.”