United players celebrate Rashford's winner

Marcus Rashford's game-winning goal came on a day when Manchester United's defense grew increasingly desperate as the match progressed; therefore, it was only appropriate that the match be won by Rashford. This performance will not be one that Manchester United will look back on with fondness come the end of the season.

This was a significant day for the United academy that produced Rashford and so many others over the years, marking the 85th anniversary of a graduate from that production line being included in a matchday squad. This was a significant day for the United academy that produced Rashford and so many others over the years.

That run has now reached 4,163 games, which is an astounding figure and something that United have every reason to be proud of. During that time period, 244 academy graduates have played for the first team, and Rashford is the poster boy for the current generation of academy graduates.

Not only was it appropriate that he won the game on a day when United was eager to celebrate the successes of their academy, but it was also fitting that he brought up 100 goals for the club in the process of doing so. Someone who turns 25 today has already made 318 appearances, which is an impressive total for someone who has not even reached the century mark yet.

The beginning of Rashford's career with United hasn't exactly been smooth sailing. Since making that unforgettable breakthrough at the age of 18, his development has been anything but linear, and as recently as half a year ago, it appeared that the player and the club might be heading in the direction of a mutual separation.

His prolonged slump included almost all of the previous season, and while he felt like a victim of United's stagnation under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Ralf Rangnick and of a failure to provide elite coaching at Carrington, he also had to take responsibility for the state of drift that attached itself to his career. While he felt like a victim of United's stagnation, he also had to take responsibility for the state of drift that attached itself to his career.

On the other hand, Rashford has always had the impression that he could be a potential beneficiary of Ten Hag's appointment and of his ability to improve players on the training ground, provided that he is willing to embrace Ten Hag's methods.

He has proven himself capable of doing so, as evidenced by his remarkable goal output of seven in 15 games played. This was his second headed goal of the season, and there is no question that this has been an area of clear improvement for him this season.

The cross that Christian Eriksen delicately floated was begging to be attacked, but Rashford's aggressive play to power above Thilo Kehrer transformed him into an unstoppable force. Eriksen's cross was begging to be attacked. The right-back simply was unable to mount an effective defense against the cross and header combination.

It was the lone instance of true quality in a match that devolved into a sloppy slugfest, which, as a result, worked out better for West Ham. United were forced to play from behind for a significant portion of the second half, and they had to defend with a zeal and intensity that they probably hadn't anticipated needing earlier in the afternoon.

Rashford's goal proved to be the game-winning one, and keeping a clean sheet for the fifth consecutive game at Old Trafford was absolutely necessary to accomplish this.

He hasn't played for England since he missed the decisive penalty in the final of the European Championship last July, but Gareth Southgate was at Old Trafford on Sunday, so he must surely be close to confirming his place in the 26-man squad for Qatar. He hasn't played for England since he missed the penalty in the final of the European Championship last July. His progression throughout this season almost compels a review of his past.

He has not been perfect, and his finishing can still be erratic at times, but there has been enough progress to show that he still has a significant role to play for both his club and for England.

United may use the break in the season caused by the World Cup to evaluate their current situation with players' contracts, as several of their players are currently under agreements that are set to expire in the summer of 2019. Rashford's contract will expire in the summer of 2023, and although Manchester United has the option to extend it for an additional year, much of the attention has been focused on the situation involving David de Gea.

However, given his performances this year, he should receive more recognition than that. At the beginning of this campaign, it appeared to be a prudent strategy for United to wait and see how Rashford developed while he was playing for Ten Hag.

It appears as though a new contract is simply reward for a player who has the potential to set records at his childhood club at this point.