Scott McTominay was hailed as Manchester United’s unsung hero as a stunning stat emerged after the Scot scored again to send the Red Devils to the FA Cup quarter-finals.
The 24-year-old came off the bench to rescue Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side as he struck seven minutes into extra-time to seal a 1-0 victory in a cagey fifth round clash against West Ham.
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The goal, a well struck effort after a neat flick-on from Marcus Rashford, continued an unlikely scoring streak for central midfielder McTominay – his third goal in the space of just seven days.
This purple patch, having scored in successive Premier League games against Southampton and Everton, has taken his tally to the season to SEVEN goals.
Which is some showing from the defensive-minded player, especially when you consider that he has more goals this season than all of his competitors for a place in Solskjaer’s midfield COMBINED – Paul Pogba [5], Donny van de Beek [1], Nemanja Matic [0] and Fred [0].
In fact, McTominay is now Man United’s third-highest goalscorer of the 2020/21 campaign, with the same number of goals as strikers Anthony Martial and Edinson Cavani, and more than Mason Greenwood [4].
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Bruno Fernandes and Marcus Rashford are the only two with more goals at the club with 18 and 16 respectively.
And the pundits were full of praise for the Scotland international after the game, with United legend Mark Hughes telling : “He came on as a sub and affected the game, and that’s all you want from your subs!
“He’s gone in there and made things happen. They looked more like United when he and Bruno Fernandes came on. He did really well, and it wasn’t an easy finish.”
Sports Bar hosts Andy Goldstein and Jason Cundy were also impressed with McTominay’s effective cameo appearance, and agreed he is one of United’s most underrated players.
“I’ve always liked McTominay,” said former Chelsea and Tottenham defender Cundy.
“Generally speaking, he’s never going to steal the headlines, he’s not that type of player.
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“He doesn’t catch the eye, he’s not going to bend one in from 30 yards, he’s not going to run the game like Bruno.
“But what he does do, he’s got good energy, he puts his foot in, he’s mobile, he’s got a big physical presence and wherever I’ve seen him play I’ve always thought, ‘he’s decent’.
“And I think he’s important to United, I really do. He’s more mobile than matric and you can see that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer does actually trust him.
“It’s a good goal tonight, he took it well, it was a really nice little flick from Rashford and he’s taken it so early the ball hits the back of the next before the west ham defenders can even set themselves. It’s a smart finish.
“So yes, I agree McTominay does go under the radar a little bit. I’ve always liked him.”
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Solskjaer also praised the player after the full-time whistle, and commended the Scot for his impeccably-timed goal.
“He’s a clean striker of the ball,” the boss told.
“He used to be a striker when he was a kid and you can see that. He finishes with authority and there’s no messing. He just hits the ball cleanly and tries to make the goalkeeper make a save.
“Very good reaction. It was a good lay-off by Marcus but he still has a lot to do.
“Scotty scored the winning goal, that’s vital. Bruno came on and scored the winning goal in the last game.
“We have a big and strong squad. Many got minutes tonight so it’s a good night for us.”
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