Ronaldo-esque: Martial evokes Cristiano comparisons as he stars with Pogba in latest Utd win
Manchester United's French striker Anthony Martial put his name on the scoresheet with a stunning effort against Fulham, as fans spotted an eerie similarity to a goal scored against the Cottagers by Cristiano Ronaldo 12 years ago.
United ran out comfortable 3-0 winners away from home at Craven Cottage, with a Paul Pogba brace sandwiching Martial's stunning 23rd-minute strike.
Pogba's double showed his resurgence as an influential force in the United midfield under caretaker boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, but it was his teammate for club and country Martial who was the talk of the away end after his incredible finish.
Martial had already set up the opener for Pogba in the 14th minute when he produced his moment of magic nine minutes later.
The French striker took possession of the ball on the left flank and sped past two Fulham defenders before firing low into the bottom corner.
It was a strike that prompted fans to jump on Twitter and liken the strike to a very similar effort scored on the same ground by Cristiano Ronaldo during his United days.
Where have I seen that martial goal before 😉 pic.twitter.com/jYT5aEc5Ia
— Marky Carter (@marky_carter) February 9, 2019
A touch of Ronaldo at Fulham 2007 there from Martial. Scintillating stuff. #mufc
— Samuel Luckhurst (@samuelluckhurst) February 9, 2019
What a ridiculous, world-class goal that is from Anthony Martial. My word. Glorious.
— Liam Canning (@LiamPaulCanning) February 9, 2019
11 games of Man United attack under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer:Paul Pogba ⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️🅰️🅰️🅰️🅰️🅰️Marcus Rashford ⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️🅰️Jesse Lingard ⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️🅰️🅰️Anthony Martial ⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️🅰️🅰️Romelu Lukaku ⚽️⚽️⚽️🅰️🅰️
— Man Utd Stuff (@ManUtdStuff) February 9, 2019
Louis Saha on Anthony Martial: “He is just amazing, when he is at his best he reminds me of a young Thierry Henry”
— The Man Utd Way (@TheManUtdWay) February 9, 2019
Live scenes of Martial at Craven Cottage. ⚽️🔥⚽️🔥⚽️🔥 pic.twitter.com/cFWzm32Osf
— Manchester United (@ManUnitedWorld) February 9, 2019
Cristiano Ronaldo:• 32 goals• 18 assistsAnthony Martial:• 33 goals• 17 assistsThe second coming. 😉 https://t.co/yWd8dAhe8D
— Squawka Football (@Squawka) February 9, 2019
United's win powered them up to fourth in the Premier League. And with the team looking revitalized under Solskjaer's stewardship, optimism is rising as United prepare to welcome Paris Saint-Germain to Old Trafford in the Last 16 of the UEFA Champions League next week.