Marcus Rashford urges Manchester United to ‘get over the line’ and break semi-final run

Red Devils take on rivals City in the final four of the Carabao Cup next week

(Manchester United via Getty Imag)

Marcus Rashford has urged his Manchester United team-mates to “get over the line” and break the club’s recent run of falling at the semi-final stage in knockout competitions.

Last season, United lost a Europa League semi-final against Sevilla after final-four defeats in the FA Cup and Carabao Cup by Chelsea and rivals Man City, respectively.

And on 6 January, United have the chance to avenge that Carabao Cup semi-final loss to City when they come up against Pep Guardiola’s side in the same stage of the competition for the second straight season.

“The platform has been there for a while and in this last year we’ve taken greater steps forward, which is obviously a positive for us,” Rashford told Man United’s official club website on New Year’s Day. 

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“We missed out on winning some trophies [last season], losing in the semi-finals, and that’s what we need to correct in the coming year and make sure we get over the line and win trophies.

“That’s the next thing for us to do as a team, then it’s about doing it consistently and being able to repeat it back-to-back – which is more difficult than getting it the first time. 

“We’ve still got a long journey ahead of us, but at the moment we’re in a good place and we’re concentrating on ourselves and our team and just trying to improve ourselves in each game.”

United’s performances this season have been somewhat inconsistent, with a fine start to the Champions League group stage giving way to a collapse that saw Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s players eliminated in the final gameweek of that phase of the tournament. As such, they will compete in the Europa League knockout rounds as the season continues, taking on Real Sociedad in the last 32.

But a nine-game unbeaten run in the Premier League since the start of November meant the Red Devils finished 2020 in second place in the top flight, three points behind rivals and leaders Liverpool – though United have a game in hand on the champions.

And, of course, Solskjaer’s team are closing in on the Carabao Cup trophy, which they last won in 2017, although defending champions City – who have won the last three editions of the competition – present a stern test next week.

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