Anthony Martial, Marcus Rashford to become 1st duo to score 20 each for United in 8 years

Manchester United fans had every reason to cheer on Wednesday after an Anthony Martial hat-trick helped the Red Devils register a comprehensive 3-0 victory over fellow Champions League chasers Sheffield United. The Anthony Martial hat-trick meant that the French forward had taken his goal tally to 19 for the Manchester United 2019-20 season, equalling fellow attacker Marcus Rashford's mark. The duo are closing on the 20-goal mark for the season and could see them record an incredible statistic, which hasn't been breached by Manchester United since the 2010/11 season. 

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Martial-Rashford stats: Anthony Martial, Marcus Rashford set to become first 20-goal scoring duo for Manchester United since 2010-11

Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford are currently enjoying their best ever season in professional football, and the duo are well placed to cross the 20-goal barrier for the season. Both attackers have shrugged off their injury patches this season and returned in top form, joint leading the Manchester United 2019-20 scoring charts. In a surprising stat, The Red Devils have not had two players score more than 20 goals in a season since the 2010-11 season, where strikers Dimitar Berbatov and Javier Hernandez scored 21 and 20 respectively.

Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford will have plenty of time to go past both, considering that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side could have as many as 16 games remaining after their win against Sheffield United. While the Martial-Rashford stats would mean nothing if Manchester United do not qualify for the Champions League, it is a clear indication of the progress made under manager Solskjaer. 

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According to The Athletic's Laurie Whitwell, Manchester United had two players scoring more than 20 goals in a season on six occasions between 1998-2009, with Sir Alex Ferguson's sid lifting the Premier League title on five of those occasions. The only occasion when the Red Devils failed to secure the Premier League title and have two players with more 20 goals, was when Ruud van Nistelrooy and Solskjaer himself hit 34 and 21 respectively in the 2001-02 season. Manchester United have not had a single player with more than 20 goals in five of the six seasons since Robin van Persie hit 30 goals during the 2012/13 season, with Zlatan Ibrahimovic's 28 strikes in 2016/17 proving to be the only exception. 

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Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford's partnership at the top has been the main source of goals for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer as both of them have played together for the better part of five seasons at Manchester United. The duo have set up each other on multiple occasions through the current season and along with Paul Pogba and Bruno Fernandes to add more quality to the final ball, Manchester United fans have a lot to cheer for. The Anthony Martial-Marcus Rashford partnership coupled with the emergence of Mason Greenwood makes the Red Devils attack more potent, resembling Sir Alex Ferguson's penchant of having quality goalscorers leading the attack. Greenwood already has 12 goals this season, and if all goes well for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, the Manchester United youngster might also find a way to breach the 20-goal barrier. 

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(Image Credit: Premier League twitter)