It was one of the most memorable breakthroughs by a young player in top-flight European football over the past 15 year or so.
Marcus Rashford stepped into the Manchester United first-team as a skinny 18-year-old amid an injury crisis. After scoring twice against Midtjylland in the Europa League, he followed up with another brace on his Premier League debut three days later.
Arsenal were on the receiving end as Rashford's first-half double helped United to a 3-2 win at Old Trafford in February 2016.
It was an introduction that promised much, such was his prodigious ability and remarkable speed.
But as he prepares to face league leaders Arsenal again on Sunday, there's a feeling he's only now beginning to fully realise his potential.
Full circle
The 2021-22 season was an utter shambles for United. They failed to finish in the top four, setting a new club record for the fewest points in a single Premier League season.
In a failing team with so many issues, it was no wonder few players could excel. But the outlook for Rashford seemed particularly bleak.
He ended with only 13 league starts over the season, the fewest since 11 during his breakthrough campaign.
There had been a degree of optimism when he finally had surgery on a troublesome back injury. He'd not looked his usual dynamic self for a while, though it was hoped this operation would set him straight even if it meant missing the first two months of the season.
He scored on his return, a 4-2 defeat to Leicester City, and then got another two weeks later as United beat Tottenham 3-0, but this was something of a false dawn. By the end of the season he found himself regularly missing out in favour of Anthony Elanga, and he concluded the campaign with just four Premier League goals.
With upheaval in his personal life, the stress of his part in England's Euro 2020 failure and the subsequent reaction, it was a complicated time. It got to the point where he sought help from a psychologist after Euro 2020, such was his inner turmoil.
Pundits told him to leave, convinced Rashford and United couldn't rebuild each other – but, here we are in January 2023, with the England forward something of a poster boy for a seemingly promising new era at Old Trafford.
A fresh start
Only Rashford will know for certain what's changed the course of his United career, but there's little doubt something happened.
Whether it simply came down to being in a better mental state, as aided by off-field stability, or if it was something more deliberate, perhaps he'll open up one day.
But he took it upon himself to train at Nike's headquarters in Oregon last year before pre-season, and his comments while on United's tour of Thailand and Australia painted a picture of a man relishing a new era with Ten Hag.
"I think we can do a lot together," he said in July. "For me, it's a fresh start and something I am looking forward to. I'm in a good place right now and I'm just looking forward to getting more games under my belt.
"It's been a bit unnatural for me to have such a long break in the summer. This is my first year where I have been with the team from the beginning [of pre-season]. And, to be honest, I already feel a lot better than usual when you go on internationals and you come back midway through the pre-season."
Again, it's rarely possible to definitively prove from the outside what the decisive factors are behind such improvements in football, but the results speak for themselves.
His recent run of scoring in seven successive appearances (all competitions) was the best such run by a United player since Cristiano Ronaldo in April 2008.
New-found maturity
Being in Ten Hag's team most weeks won't have hurt Rashford's continuity, but he's still had to earn that role in the team – the Dutchman has already shown he's not afraid to drop players.
Overall, Rashford appears to be playing with greater maturity as he operates in more threatening areas and with improved efficiency.
His average of 5.6 involvements in open-play shot-ending sequences every 90 minutes is more than any of the previous three seasons – 2.2 of those situations are instances of him having the shot, which is also a high over that period.
So not only is Rashford relishing greater influence generally, he's also displaying more decisiveness in terms of opting to shoot, which stands to reason given his goals frequency (excluding penalties) of 0.47 per 90 minutes is the second best of his Premier League career.
Of course, a key component of Rashford's game ever since his breakthrough has been ball carrying. Even if he's not the best dribbler, his pace makes him a real threat when running with possession.
This season, he's carrying the ball less (8.5 carries per 90 minutes) often than any of the previous three campaigns, yet his record of 1.2 shot-ending carries per 90 is higher. It's another sign of maturity, with Rashford picking his moments better, but also confidence: his 20 shot-ending carries is already four times his tally from last season.
That also feeds into his general decision-making. He's actually averaging the fewest touches in the box of his top-flight career (5.5), but his total shots in the area (2.1) and attempts on target from the same range (1.2) have never been higher.
It's no surprise then that Rashford's expected goals (xG) per 90 minutes of 0.43 is the second-best of his Premier League career. This can be partly explained by his overall shot frequency (2.8) being slightly above his average (2.5), but it's also evidence of his shot selection improving and him finding better positions off the ball.
We shouldn't forget Rashford was also a standout for United in 2019-20 before a difficult couple of years. One difference now, however, is Ten Hag has already made United far more functional as a unit. They're a better team made up of better individuals.
Rashford made his breakthrough against Arsenal; more heroics against the Gunners might just be a sign of him and United taking a step towards another level.
Kompany wary of PSG quality despite European struggles
Bayern Munich coach Vincent Kompany is ignoring Paris Saint-Germain's poor start in the Champions League and expects a fierce test when the Parisiens visit Bavaria on Tuesday.
Six-time European champions Bayern are a lowly 17th in the 36-team Champions League table, currently occupying a playoff spot with just six points from four games.
PSG, meanwhile, are in danger of missing out on qualification entirely, sitting 25th with four points after being dealt a difficult draw.
Ahead of this week's fifth round of matches, the Opta supercomputer gave Bayern a 75% chance of reaching the last 16, either via automatic qualification or the playoffs.
PSG, meanwhile, are assigned just a 45% chance of making the round of 16.
However, Kompany will not take anything for granted ahead of the visit of Luis Enrique's men, saying: "We are playing against one of the big clubs in Europe.
They have a lot of individual quality and a very good coach. Both teams will want to win. We are playing at home and this match is of utmost importance to us.
"It's a squad with incredible talent. The spaces between the lines are never big, the pressing is very aggressive and good.
"When they have the ball, they have a clear attacking approach. As a team, they are really very good."
While the German giants have lost two of their four Champions League matches this season, they are undefeated in the Bundesliga and have not conceded a goal in five consecutive league games, but Kompany is still striving for more.
"There are many teams in the competition that we haven't seen yet. We often talk about finishing in the top eight... our goal is to finish top one," the Belgian added.
Bayern are without 20-year-old defensive midfielder Aleksandar Pavlovic, who broke his collarbone in October.
"Aleks is not yet fully integrated into training. It is going well and quickly, but it will still take a little while," Kompany said.
One man who is raring to go is Harry Kane, who has scored 50 Bundesliga goals since joining from Tottenham in August last year, needing just 43 games to reach that mark – fewer than any player in the league's history.
"It has been a long time since I felt as good as I do now," the England captain said. "As an experienced player, you learn a lot about different phases in a game.
"Since I've been at Bayern, my numbers have gone up. I hope that this continues and that we can keep raising our standards.
"Without the players around me, all of the goals I score would not be possible. They create space.
"We have a lot of competition for different positions, a lot of quality and a high tempo. Sometimes I also drop deeper to give my team-mates more space. We get on very well."
Leipzig in false Champions League position, says Inter's Inzaghi
RB Leipzig's lowly position in the Champions League standings does not reflect their performances, said Inter coach Simone Inzaghi ahead of their clash at San Siro on Tuesday.
Inter sit fifth in the 36-team group phase, having collected an impressive 10 points through four games, winning three in a row after starting with a draw at Manchester City.
Leipzig, meanwhile, are one of five teams still without a point.
If they lose on Tuesday, they will equal their longest-ever losing run in the competition, having lost five straight between February and October 2021 – two under Julian Nagelsmann and three under Jesse Marsch.
"Leipzig are a team that has been in the Champions League for six years and until Saturday they had the best defence in the Bundesliga," Inzaghi told a press conference on Monday.
"In the four Champions League matches they have played they deserved more, they have only clearly lost against Celtic.
"They have a coach [Marco Rose] who has been there for many years, they have many quality players and the ranking does not reflect their performances in Europe. We know that we are facing a strong team".
Leipzig, who are third in the Bundesliga after losing 4-3 at Hoffenheim on Saturday, kicked off their European campaign with a 2-1 loss at Atletico Madrid and home defeats by Juventus (3-2) and Liverpool (1-0). They lost 3-1 at Celtic last time out.
Inter, meanwhile, are unbeaten in 11 home matches in the competition (nine wins, two draws), keeping nine clean sheets during that run. Inzaghi, however, says they have further gears to find.
"We always have to work harder, this positive moment is the best to push and improve even more," Inzaghi said, reflecting on Saturday's 5-0 win at Verona in Serie A.
"We always try to see where we can do better. On Saturday in Verona, we scored five goals in one half, but we saw where we made some mistakes that could have cost us dearly.
"Last year it was one thing, this year it's different. Both in the league and in the Champions League there are many pitfalls."
Inter, who won the Scudetto last season and were Champions League runners-up in 2023, are third in Serie A, one point behind Napoli and level with second-placed Atalanta.
Midfielder Davide Frattesi is likely to miss the Leipzig game but Inzaghi will hope to have midfielder Hakan Calhanoglu and forward Lautaro Martinez available.
"Frattesi has been having a little problem with his ankle for 10 days. It will have to be evaluated. Yesterday it gave him some problems and today he didn't feel at his best," Inzaghi said.
"Calhanoglu and Lautaro were absent in Verona but had two good training sessions yesterday and today. Tomorrow morning, I will evaluate the lineup."
Calhanoglu was substituted at half-time in Turkiye's match against Wales on November 16 with a muscle issue, while Martinez, who scored in Argentina's World Cup qualifiers against Paraguay and Peru, fell sick as he returned from international duty.
Alonso's injury concerns growing amid Leverkusen fixture congestion
Xabi Alonso stressed that he needs all of his players to compete in Bayer Leverkusen's packed schedule, with Salzburg next up in the Champions League.
French striker Martin Terrier joined Leverkusen's long injury list when he fractured his right forearm during their 5-2 comeback win over Heidenheim in the Bundesliga on Saturday, while Jeremie Frimpong also had to go off before half-time.
Jonas Hofmann was ruled out for the rest of the year due to a thigh injury before that game on Saturday, joining Victor Boniface, Amine Adli, Nordi Mukiele and Jeanuel Belocian on the sidelines.
"We need the whole squad but with six injured players, everyone is even more important," Alonso told reporters.
"It's intense to play every three days. A special situation in which we need every single player."
Along with injury concerns, Leverkusen have struggled with form in the past weeks as they drew 1-1 with Brest and then lost 4-0 to Liverpool in Europe's top competition.
Since the start of last season, no team has won more games in major European competition than Leverkusen (11, excluding qualifiers), while only Liverpool (39) and Manchester City (38) have scored more than Alonso's side (37) in this period.
However, since the start of the 2023-24 campaign, Leverkusen have won six of their seven home matches in major European competition (D1), and beat Milan in their only match on home soil in the Champions League this term (1-0).
Leverkusen, winners of the domestic double last season, are 13th in the Champions League standings and will face Salzburg, who are 30th, but Alonso said Pepijn Lijnders' side cannot be taken lightly.
"We know how important the upcoming home games against Salzburg and Inter are. We expect a good opponent tomorrow," he added.
"Salzburg plays with a lot of intensity and dynamism. We want to get these important points in the BayArena. We need the energy from the fans. In difficult moments, they can influence and push us."
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