Rashford strikes twice as Man Utd crush Norwich

Not for the first time this season, it was Rashford, who has now scored 19 times in his past 23 games for United and England, who was his team’s key performer.

The win kept United in fifth place in the Premier League, five points behind fourth-placed Chelsea, who won 3-0 against Burnley.

“In any Premier League game you have to take advantage of the pressure and domination you get,” Solskjaer told the BBC. “Second half was very good.”

“We reacted today. We can bounce back and we are taking more than two or three steps forward before one back, because behind the scenes we know we are doing good work,” he added.

Rashford struck in the 27th minute after largely unrelenting United pressure with an instinctive finish, although the goal owed everything to a fantastic assist from Juan Mata.

The Spanish playmaker received a long pass from Victor Lindelof and, after Todd Cantwell backed off a little too far, had the space to float in a perfect cross which Rashford volleyed in from close range at the far post.

It was the England forward’s 13th league goal of the season and goal number 14 — his 19th in all competitions for the Reds — would come from a second-half penalty to maintain what is comfortably the most productive season in the 22-year-old’s career.

Given the much-publicised problems and inconsistency that have plagued United’s season to date, Rashford has emerged as Solskjaer’s most influential and important performer.

That was evident in the way his goalscoring skills were required to break down a Norwich side rooted to the foot of the table and now with just one victory in their past 17 league games.

– Maguire starts –

Solskjaer, whose side lost 3-1 in the first leg of their League Cup semi-final against Manchester City in midweek, opted to start England defender Harry Maguire, just days after the club briefed that he had suffered a torn hip muscle that was expected to sideline him for several weeks.

With United’s injury problems particularly bad in the defensive department, Maguire’s inclusion was a calculated gamble and it still required United keeper David de Gea to make a superb save late in the first half to keep their lead intact.

But that was a rare lapse from a United side who dominated for the bulk of the game and should have been enjoying a more comfortable cushion by the interval.

That finally came with two goals in quick succession early in the second half, with Rashford heavily involved in the first of those, playing a ball into the area for Brandon Williams to chase.

The young full-back won a penalty after a rash challenge from goalkeeper Tim Krul.

United had missed four of their previous eight penalties this season — two in their win at Norwich before Christmas — but Rashford made no mistake on this occasion with a firm strike into the bottom right-hand corner in the 52nd minute.

The Reds did not have long to wait for a third as Williams played a quick, short corner to Mata whose cross was headed in brilliantly by Martial.

Williams himself should have continued the rout moments later, missing an open net from three yards, before substitute Greenwood finally produced the fourth after 75 minutes, driving a left-foot shot past Krul from the edge of the area.