3 takeaways from Manchester United vs Aston Villa

An Alejandro Garnacho brace and Rasmus Hojlund’s first Premier League goal dragged the dishevelled Manchester United from two goals down to earn a rousing 3-2 win over Aston Villa at Old Trafford in the Premier League on Boxing Day.

John McGinn had given Aston Villa the lead from a free-kick which he had intended as a cross, and moments later Leander Dendoncker doubled the lead after more terrible defending from a set-piece from the hosts. But Manchester United came out fired up after the break and Garnacho led their fightback. He had a goal narrowly ruled out for offside but didn’t deter him and pulled Erik ten Hag’s side level in no time with two goals.

Eight minutes from time, Hojlund scored the winner from a corner kick and also his first league goal in the process to send the Old Trafford faithful into delirium. Here are the three takeaways from Man United’s remarkable 3-2 comeback win over Aston Villa.

1. Rasmus Hojlund finally off the mark

Erik ten Hag will undoubtedly be delighted with the three points and the spirit with which his boys turned the game against Aston Villa, but he will be just as pleased to see Rasmus Hojlund finally break his Premier League duck.

Hojlund has five Champions League goals in Man United colours, but his lacklustre displays in the Premier League started to raise questions about the striker’s hefty £72m price tag. Hopefully, this goal can lift all the weight from the Dane’s young shoulders and allow him to play the game he is so good at, with more goals to come in 2024.

2. Schoolboy defensive errors

Ten Hag would have been livid with how his team handed two late Christmas presents in quick succession—both from set pieces.

The first, with Leon Bailey standing offside next to Onana, confused players to the point where John McGinn’s free-kick flew right past everyone and into the back of the net. Four minutes later it was 2-0 to Unai Emery’s side. Clement Lenglet made a simple run at the back post for the corner and knocked the ball in for Leander Dendoncker to prod home from close range, with the Belgian midfielder incredibly finding himself unmarked between seven United shirts.

It was another example of Ten Hag’s men conceding goals in quick succession, a sign of their defensive fragility. They conceded twice in six minutes at West Ham on Saturday, two in five in the 3-0 defeat to Bournemouth a fortnight before—and that is just this month.

3. Alejandro Garnacho impresses on the right wing

When Ten Hag named his starting XI that comprised Marcus Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho, many would have expected that the former would operate from the right flank and the latter from the opposite wing. To almost everyone’s surprise, Garnacho was deployed on the right wing.

Garnacho had a decent first half but stepped up in the second and drove United to victory through his hard work, passion and determination. The young Argentinean terrorised Villa’s defence with his rapid pace and directness, and despite his initial finish being ruled out for offside, he didn’t let it affect him and brought the Red Devils level with two good goals.

The biggest takeaway from Garnacho’s spirited display is that for the first time in a long time, there was some threat and intent coming from the right flank. Hopefully, it’s something Ten Hag and his coaching staff can build on.