Manchester United pulled off a mini Christmas miracle by turning a 2-0 half-time deficit into a 3-2 win against Aston Villa on Boxing Day. This has given manager Erik ten Hag some breathing room after a poor spell in the Premier League.
The win sees United move up to sixth place, while Villa miss out on the chance to catch up with Liverpool, who will remain at the top for at least two days after today’s win.
The home team fell far behind. John McGinn took a free kick on the touchline and his deflected ball caused a mistake by goalkeeper André Onana: 0-1 to Villa.
A few minutes later, after a corner, it was 0:2. Leander Dendoncker was surrounded by six United defenders but no one appeared to point the finger at the Belgian. Within half an hour United were forced to concede a deficit that did not diminish until half-time. The Red Devils had a few chances, especially from Marcus Rashford, but they did not result in a goal.
United gained momentum in the second half and Alejandro Garnacho scored after a quick counter-attack, but the goal was disallowed for offside. A quarter of an hour after half-time, the 19-year-old striker scored: He managed to parry the cross, thus ending United’s 440-minute goal drought.
This was the beginning of the revival because ten minutes later the young Argentinian scored again. Dane Rasmus Hojlund brought great joy to Old Trafford with his first league winning goal.
Source: NOS
I’m George Gonzalez, a professional journalist and author at The Nation View. With more than 5 years of experience in the field, I specialize in covering sports news for various print media outlets. My passion for writing has enabled me to craft stories that capture the attention of readers all over the world.
