Marcus Rashford sets Man Utd target as ‘standards’ claim made following Brentford win

Marcus Rashford hopes Manchester United’s win over Brentford on Wednesday will be the start of another strong run of form.

The Red Devils provided a response to their 2-0 defeat at Newcastle as Rashford’s 27th-minute strike proved enough to separate the sides at Old Trafford.

Erik ten Hag’s side are now three points clear of Tottenham Hotspur in fifth, and still hold a game in hand over their top-four rivals. They are level on points with Newcastle in third, after Eddie Howe’s side won 5-1 at West Ham.

Rashford now has 26 goals in 45 appearances for Man United this season, as he provided another important strike to keep the club’s Champions League ambitions on track.

“We are in that period of the season where every game is important and every game counts so we are pleased to win and hopefully we can get back to where we were a few weeks ago,” said Rashford.

“The important thing is always to win the next game. Everyone is clear that we are not going to play our best every week but there is never a time to drop our standards and we have to keep trying to push each other every week.

“We were a bit more patient out of possession, we waited for the right conditions to press rather than pressing every ball. We were calm and kept communicating to try and stop the supplies to their forward men.”

Rashford says finishing in the top four remains the club’s aim, as they also compete for the FA Cup and Europa League.

He added: “We want to get as many points as we possibly can and we will try and win every game. We just have to keep playing well and give our best, keep recovering well and move on to the next fixture.”