MARCUS RASHFORD has rubbished “nonsense” claims Manchester United gave up during their humiliating defeat to Liverpool.
Erik ten Hag’s men conceded SIX second-half goals as they lost 7-0 to their bitter rivals on Sunday.
But England international Rashford, 25, was quick to shut down talk of the team throwing in the towel during the Anfield demolition.
He said: “We didn’t give up – that is nonsense. We were unorganised and communication was bad.
“It comes down to the fact I believe everyone was trying to get back into the game that much, we came away from the principles in and out of possession.
“I felt the forwards were trying to press, just the forward unit, and were disconnected from the midfield.
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“We were talking but weren’t in agreement on what to do. The only thing we can do is learn from it and move on.”
He then went on to add: “Liverpool versus United is a unique game, it doesn’t matter about form, it’s a special game of football that is decided in 90 minutes on the pitch.
“Going in at half-time, it could have been a different game. I missed a chance to make it 1-0. They can take the game away from you and that’s what happened. It’s about resetting now.
“Losing against Liverpool is enough. The scoreline doesn’t matter when you lose a game against Liverpool or any other rivals, it cuts deep, it’s not nice, it’s never a nice feeling but for me, I always remember how many games we’ve won against them. It’s football and why everyone loves the game.
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“It’s disappointing but we can’t dwell on it and look back. We’re in a position where we’re still fighting on all fronts and we have a lot of games still to play. We want to put it right.”
Rashford, who has scored 24 goals in 40 appearances so far this season, was also quick to defend Bruno Fernandes.
The Portuguese star, 28, has been deputising as skipper due to club captain Harry Maguire being dropped to the bench for much of the campaign.
But he raised eyebrows with his conduct on Merseyside.
Fernandes repeatedly threw his arms up at his team-mates as Ten Hag’s men capitulated.
He failed to acknowledge the away support at full-time, before Raphael Varane urged the rest of the team to head over to the Man Utd corner of the ground.
Fernandes also went down clutching his face while wrestling with Ibrahima Konate, despite replays showing the Liverpool defender only made contact with his chest.
He also appeared to push linesman Adam Nunn.
And it has been reported his actions may lead to Ten Hag choosing a different permanent captain if Maguire departs in the summer.
Yet despite his questionable behaviour, Rashford has nothing but praise for the ex-Sporting Lisbon man.
He said: “I love playing with Bruno, as you can imagine. He’s the perfect player to play with.
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“He’s been a good leader for us, even when he’s not captain, which is always a good sign. He’s helped other players become better leaders and the reality is that we can’t be an organised team in terms of just one leader being captain. He’s done a lot for us.
“I don’t have anything negative to say about Bruno. As the manager said, nobody is perfect. I support him and I’m 100 per cent behind him.”
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
