Marcus Rashford lauds 'clever' Man Utd star after impressive performance against Brentford

Manchester United star Marcus Rashford has praised Antony for the 'clever' role he played in the side's 1-0 win over Brentford on Wednesday.

The victory restored United's spot in the top four places, and gave them their first win in four Premier League games.

It was a timely success for Erik ten Hag's side, who had dropped out of the top four for the first time in 2023 after Sunday's 2-0 defeat to Newcastle.

Rashford scored the only goal, powering the ball into the back of the net in the first half after it fell to him in the box.

It was the England international's 15th strike of the campaign, with only Erling Haaland, Harry Kane and Ivan Toney having scored more goals than Rashford this term.

And speaking after the Brentford win, Rashford was full of praise for one United team-mate in particular.

Rashford praises Man Utd team-mate Antony

In the build-up to United's goal, it was Antony who produced a cross into the box that caused chaos among the Brentford defence.

Marcel Sabitzer headed the ball on to Rashford, who made no mistake with his effort from six yards.

And Rashford told BBC Sport: "The main was to win, we played much better football and better out of possession. The type of performance you can build on.

"It wasn't easy or simple but we're very happy with the three points. They [Brentford] are difficult to break down, they defend well in a block of five or six players and you have to wait for openings.

"It's a very clever pass from Antony and it ends up a simple goal but it was quite tough to break them down."

Antony will hope the moment of precision will act as a platform to put in strong performances more consistently, with the Brazilian having failed to score in the Premier League since October.

But he has shown glimpses of quality, such as his superb curling strike in the 6-2 defeat to Manchester City in the same month.