Marcus Rashford announced himself a serious talent in 2016 when he scored twice on his debut against FC Midtjylland in the Europa League.
Then only 18-years-old, it was clear Manchester United had found themselves a star striker who had the whole world at his feet, and it’s fair to say he’s gone on to meet those expectations ever since.
Just three days after he announced himself with that debut brace, Rashford did it all again on his Premier League debut, netting a brace in three first-half minutes against Arsenal at Old Trafford. The rest, as they say, is history.
The Manchester-born forward, who can play as a striker or on either wing, has since become a potent force in United and England’s attack, known for his pace and instinctive finishing abilities.
And as he prepares to face Arsenal once again in the Premier League, Football FanCast has taken a look at Rashford’s overall record against the North London outfit to date.
What is Marcus Rashford's goal record against Arsenal?
It started in perfect fashion with that three-minute brace against the Gunners on his Premier League debut, back in February 2016.
His two goals that day would prove to be the difference as Man United ran out 3-2 winners at Old Trafford to continue their bid to climb back into the top four of the Premier League.
Since then, Rashford has faced Arsenal 15 more times in all competitions but, quite amazingly, it took him until the 22/23 season to score his next goals against the Gunners, netting three in his two Premier League meetings against Mikel Arteta’s side.
That takes his overall goal record against Arsenal to just five goals in 16 appearances in all competitions.
What is Marcus Rashford’s head-to-head record against Arsenal?
Rashford has had mixed fortunes against the Gunners over the years, despite it starting like a fairytale on his debut.
He’s met them 15 times in the Premier League and just once in the FA Cup, but has won just six of those meetings, losing another six and drawing the other four.
He and Manchester United actually went three seasons between 18/19 and 20/21 without beating Arsenal in the league, before ending that run with a 3-2 victory in the 21/22 campaign. Rashford registered one of his four assists against the north London club in that game.
His one and only FA Cup meeting against Arsenal ended in a 3-1 victory in 2019, which saw him come off the bench for the final 18 meetings and get booked – one of only two bookings he’s picked up against the Gunners in his career to-date.
What is Marcus Rashford’s record at Emirates Stadium?
Rashford’s best performances against Arsenal have come at Old Trafford, not the Emirates Stadium.
The England international has only tasted victory twice in the red half of north London, the first of which came in the 17/18 season when came off the bench in the final minute of a 3-1 victory.
The second came in that FA Cup fourth-round victory in 2019, which he also could only contribute to as a substitute. Other than that, the Emirates Stadium has not been a happy hunting ground for Rashford over the years.
His only goal at the Emirates came last season. The forward opened the scoring in the 17th minute, but Man United eventually lost the game 3-2, with Eddie Nketiah scoring a 90th-minute winner for the Gunners.
Who does Marcus Rashford have the best record against?
Of his 123 goals for Manchester United to date, it is actually Leicester City who have suffered against Marcus Rashford the most.
The Foxes have come up against the forward 16 times over the years with Rashford netting eight times, two of which came just last season.
However, if you are to add assists to his record and go by total goal involvements, Rashford’s favourite opponents are actually Newcastle United. In the 11 times he’s faced the Magpies, the forward has an impressive 10-goal involvements (five goals, five assists).
Other clubs Rashford particularly enjoys playing against are Chelsea and Liverpool, who he has scored six times against each, and West Ham, Man City, Arsenal, Tottenham and Bournemouth (five goals against each).
What is Marcus Rashford’s goal record for Manchester United?
Let’s not forget, Rashford began his Manchester United career with four goals in two games, and since then he’s gone on to become of the Red Devil’s most iconic goalscorers.
To date, the England international has 123 goals and 68 assists in over 350 first-team appearances for the Red Devils. That doesn’t quite put him in the top 10 of United’s all-time top goalscorers but he’s not far off it – he needs just 32 more to go level with Paul Scholes, who is 10th on Man United’s historic list of goalscorers.
The majority of Rashford’s goals have come in the Premier League (76), while he also has a quite impressive record in the Carabao Cup with 14 goals in 22 appearances. Rashford’s FA Cup record is just eight goals in 31 appearances.
In Europe, the forward has scored 13 in the Europa League and 12 in the Champions League, but he failed to find the net in his one and only appearance in the UEFA Super Cup.
It’s only a matter of time before we see Rashford join the Premier League’s 100 club and he could do it this season if he has a strong campaign, needing just 24 to join such an illustrious list of Premier League legends.
How many debuts has Marcus Rashford scored on?
Rashford announced himself with doubles in his Europa League and Premier League debuts just three days apart, and he ended up following suit in other competitions during the early stages of his career.
He also scored on his Carabao Cup debut the following season as Jose Mourinho’s Man United beat Northampton Town in September 2016. Twelve months later Rashford did it again, this time on his Champions League debut, netting in a 3-0 victory over FC Basel at Old Trafford.
To top it off, he found the back of the net on his England debut at just 18 years old. It took him just three minutes to do so as well, as the Three Lions went on to beat Australia 2-1 at the Stadium of Light.
That makes it five goal-scoring debuts for Rashford, with the FA Cup being the only debut he couldn’t find the net.
What is Manchester United’s head-to-head record against Arsenal?
The first time Manchester United and Arsenal met competitively, both sides had different names. United were known as Newton Heath and the Gunners went by the name of Woolwich Arsenal. They first faced off in October 1894 in what seems like a thrilling 3-3 draw.
The first time they clashed under the names we know them by today was in February 1920, with Man United emerging as 3-0 winners at Highbury.
In all competitions, the teams have met each other 239 times over the course of history, with Man United registering 99 wins, 86 defeats and 53 draws. In the Premier League, where these two sides once competed in a bitter title-chasing rivalry, United also have the upper hand over their now top-four rivals, winning 26 and losing 18 of their 62 meetings to-date.
When is the next match between the two teams?
Manchester United travel to the Emirates Stadium on Sunday 3rd September, with the match scheduled to kick-off at 4:30pm UK time.
It will be the fourth Premier League match of the season for both sides. By then, the Red Devils will have already played Wolves, Tottenham and Nottingham Forest, while Arsenal will be hoping to have achieved a 100% record against Nottingham Forest, Crystal Palace and Fulham by the time this game comes around.
Both sides will have huge aspirations to achieve big things this campaign. Arsenal will have the Premier League title in their sights having fallen short last term, despite leading the way for the majority of the campaign. United might not be ready for a title challenge just yet, but they will feel like they can ask some serious questions of those who will be there or thereabouts, with a top-four finish surely the bare minimum for them.
Either way, this has always been a fiery fixture with a lot of history behind from when they were battling for Premier League honours together in the later 1990s and early 2000s.
While both have dropped off from those levels over the past 10–15 years, there remains no love lost between Man United and Arsenal, and this is expected to be yet another epic battle between two Premier League giants.