Top 10 iconic Manchester United games of the decade (2010-2019)

#5 Manchester United 3-2 Arsenal – Premier League, 28th February 2016

Teenager Marcus Rashford burst onto the scene with a brace against Arsenal in 2016

By 2015-16, Manchester United were well into the Louis Van Gaal era, with the Dutch boss in his second season in charge at Old Trafford. And while the former Ajax and Barcelona manager came under fire for numerous reasons, he was responsible for discovering a true gem in the form of academy product Marcus Rashford.

This thrilling victory over United’s old rivals Arsenal was driven by the teenage brilliance of Rashford, who shot the Red Devils into a 2-0 lead with a brace inside just 3 minutes midway through the first half. It was only the 18-year old’s second start for United, after emerging three days beforehand in a Europa League match with FC Midtjylland, scoring a brace after being chosen to replace Anthony Martial, who injured himself during the warm-up.

United fans could’ve been forgiven for thinking those goals were a fluke, but Rashford proved them wrong here, becoming the 3rd youngest player to score a Premier League goal for the Red Devils by pouncing on a poor clearance from Arsenal defender Gabriel Paulista to calmly slot home on 29 minutes.

2 minutes later, Rashford had doubled United’s lead with a header from Jesse Lingard’s cross. Arsenal hit back later in the half through former Red Devil Danny Welbeck, but on 65 minutes, United put the game beyond the Gunners when Rashford set up midfielder Ander Herrera for a third goal, meaning Mesut Ozil’s 69th minute strike was little more than a consolation.

Not only does the game remain memorable today for the performance of Rashford – an early indicator of the greatness he was capable of and would go onto display in the future – but also for the comical tumble from Van Gaal, who angrily confronted the fourth official about an apparent dive from Arsenal’s Alexis Sanchez – dropping to his back in protest in a hilarious moment.