Manchester United vs RB Leipzig: Marcus Rashford scores hat-trick in convincing victory for English side

Manchester United thrashed RB Leipzig 5-0 in their UEFA Champions League Group H encounter at Old Trafford on Wednesday. Marcus Rashford came in as a substitute and scored a clinical hat-trick to help United register the second win of their Champions League campaign this season.

The 22-year old England international was sent in just after the hour mark and it didn't take him very long to impress his coach, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. Rashford netted three goals in just 16 minutes, the first of which came in the 74th minute. Four minutes later, the forward smashed his second goal. Then, he netted the ball for the third time during stoppage time.

It was the teenage forward, Mason Greenwood, who scored the first goal of the night. It also happened to be his first Champions League goal. In the 21st minute, Greenwood latched onto Paul Pogba's defence-splitting pass before striking a low shot into the far corner of the post.

Greenwood didn't stop there as he produced another thumping effort but RB Leipzig goalkeeper Peter Gulasci rejected his attempt. United players kept Gulasci extremely busy on Tuesday night. Shortly after denying Greenwood, Gulasci also forced out Anthony Martial's effort, which otherwise could have been another goal for the hosts.

With three minutes to go, Martial was tripped inside the box and United was offered a penalty. The 24-year old Frenchman converted the penalty into his first goal of the season.

Solskjaer's side has been excellent in recent days. Previously, they had beaten Paris Saint-Germain 2-1 in their opening game of this season's Champions League. According to BBC, the English side has now extended their unbeaten streak to four matches.

On Wednesday, United's backend didn't face as much pressure as they faced from a quality side like PSG. However, David de Gea had to keep out thrilling efforts from Ibrahima Konate and Christopher Nkunku.

In another Group H encounter, the 2019-20 runners-up picked up their first win of this season's competition as they beat Istanbul Basaksehir 2-0.

The Red Devils now have six points and are leading the table ahead of Paris Saint-Germain, who is in the second spot with three points. RB Leipzig also has three points to their name but they are trailing behind the French champions in terms of goal difference.