Marcus Rashford says free-kick stunner is down to Mitre ball
Marcus Rashford's "bolt from the blue" stopped a resurgent Chelsea in their tracks as his superb free-kick fired Manchester United into the League Cup quarter-finals with a 2-1 victory at Stamford Bridge yesterday morning (Singapore time).
With 73 minutes on the clock and Chelsea beginning to dominate after Michy Batshuayi's excellent equaliser, Rashford lined up a free-kick 40 metres out and sent the ball dipping and swerving past a helpless Willy Caballero.
Chelsea manager Frank Lampard called the strike a "bolt from the blue".
Rashford had given a near full-strength United a half-time lead from the penalty spot after Welshman Daniel James had been fouled by Marcos Alonso on 25 minutes.
On his winner, 22-year-old England forward Rashford said: "To be honest, it was the balls.
"When we were training with them and we were shooting, there was this up and down motion and they can go anywhere. Thankfully, today it went in the top corner."
The League Cup uses Mitre balls while the English Premier League uses Nike footballs.
United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer said: "Marcus has that strike in him. I've seen him in training so many times."
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