Rasmus Hojlund scored his first Premier League goal as Manchester United rallied from two goals behind to defeat Aston Villa in a dramatic Boxing Day match at Old Trafford.
Erik ten Hag’s side produced one of those ‘back-from-the-dead’ endings for which they are famous in their first game after Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s 25% acquisition of the club, and with future director and current Ineos head of sport Sir Dave Brailsford in the directors’ box.
After John McGinn and Leander Dendoncker gave Villa a merited half-time lead, United fought after the break and refused to let their heads drop, even after VAR rejected Alejandro Garnacho’s goal for a narrow offside call.
The fightback was spearheaded by the 19-year-old Argentine, who scored twice in a game for the first time in his career to flip the game on its head.
Villa did everything they could to stop the wave of home attackers.
But, as Midlands rivals Nottingham Forest discovered here in August, United retain some of Sir Alex Ferguson’s old tenacity.
And, for the home crowd, there could be no better scorer than Hojlund, who reacted first and smashed the ball in after Bruno Fernandes’ corner struck McGinn and rebounded clear inside a crowded penalty area.
The relief on Hojlund’s and his teammates’ faces was palpable, with goalkeeper Andre Onana sprinting the length of the field to join in the celebrations as Ten Hag danced in delight, his fists clinched in obvious glee.