In an incredible Boxing Day match at Old Trafford, Manchester United overcame Aston Villa 3-2 with a spectacular second-half comeback.
Erik ten Hag’s team overcame a 2-0 halftime deficit in a two-hour contest to extend their incredible unbeaten run to 20 games (W17, D3) at the Theatre of Dreams on Boxing Day.
The Red Devils were facing a three-game home losing streak going into Tuesday’s action, having failed to register a point in four straight games in all competitions.
Even the most hopeful United supporters could not have predicted the final score given Villa’s explosive start, particularly after John McGinn’s free kick miraculously went behind Andre Onana’s back.
Leander Dendoncker tucked the ball home after United’s shoddy corner kick, only five minutes after Unai Emery’s team broke the deadlock. This gave them a two goal lead.
Man Utd were awakened by Villa’s second goal midway through the first half.
Ten Hag’s team put more pressure on the Lions defence, but despite having many good half-chances through Alejandro Garnacho and Marcus Rashford, they were unable to score before the half.
In order to start the comeback, United’s attacking tandem worked effectively together at the beginning of the second half. The Argentine winger rounded past Emiliano Martinez and sent the ball into an empty net.
The hosts believed that, anyway. Referee Craig Pawson disallowed the goal for offside after consulting VAR.
But on the stroke of the hour mark, Garnacho tapped home at the back post after Rashford put in an appealing low cross over the goal’s face. This time, there was no denial.
Man Utd went all-out attack after scoring their first Premier League goal since defeating Chelsea 2-1 in early December, knowing that a defeat would mean Ten’s end.
Garnacho, who enjoyed a phenomenal game, struck again.
The highly-rated youngster pounced on a loose ball on the edge of the box and was lucky to see his deflected effort trick Martinez as he levelled the score with 20 minutes left.
Summer acquisition Rasmus Hojlund couldn’t have picked a better moment to open his Premier League account.
Bruno Fernandes’ corner deflected off a Villa player and fell nicely for the Denmark international to volley home and send Old Trafford into a dreamland in the 82nd minute.
After an abysmal three-game winless league run, a morale-boosting win against the Birmingham outfit fired Man Utd within a five-point distance of fourth-placed Tottenham Hotspur.
Let’s look at our player ratings.
Player Ratings
Andre Onana – 5/10
Left petrified on his goal-line for the first goal when he should’ve reacted better and misplaced several straightforward passes as he tried to help United build from the back.
Diogo Dalot – 7/10
Massively involved going forward on either side of half-time despite often lacking an end product but did a decent job keeping in-form Leon Bailey at arm’s length.
Jonny Evans – 8/10
Rolled back the years to offer Man Utd a way out of several unpleasant situations, making a last-ditch defending to maintain parity before Hojlund’s winner.
Raphael Varane – 7/10
Forced to lead by example when things started to get out of hand, the Frenchman barely put his foot wrong after the break, keeping his passes clean and precise.
Aaron Wan-Bissaka – 7/10
Despite showing signs of frustration in the early exchanges, the defensive-minded right-back grew into the context, proving a nightmare for Villa forward with his well-timed tackles and crucial interceptions.
Christian Eriksen – 5/10
Today’s game should’ve convinced Man Utd to listen to offers for the experienced playmaker. Too slow to react on multiple occasions, he failed to find a foothold in an intense showdown.
Kobbie Mainoo – 7/10
Far better on the ball than a few days ago against West Ham United, the talented youngster displayed glimpses of his burgeoning talent and amazed with his tireless runs in the middle of the park.
Alejandro Garnacho *MOTM* – 9/10
A textbook definition of a match-winning performance! Scored three times and was unlucky to see his first goal disallowed for a narrow offside call.
Marcus Rashford – 8/10
Back to the starting line-up after a lengthy spell on the fringes, the quicksilver forward showed Ten Hag why he should’ve never doubted his skills and ability to drive United forward in challenging circumstances.
Bruno Fernandes – 7/10
Brought the crowd to their feet with some insane balls over the top as he always sought a killer pass but again wasted too much energy on arguing with match officials.
Rasmus Hojlund – 8/10
Tuesday night was a perfect example of his significance to this team. In addition to finding an all-important Premier League breakthrough, the Dane was heavily involved in almost every Man Utd attacking movement.
Substitutes
Antony – 6/10
Scott McTominay – 5/10
Willy Kambwala – N/A
Daniel Gore – N/A
Hannibal Mejbri – N/A
