Alejandro Garnacho came off the bench to score a dramatic injury-time goal as Manchester United secured a crucial 2-1 away win against Fulham at Craven Cottage on Sunday night. The Red Devils looked destined to settle for a 1-1 draw before Garnacho’s left-footed strike broke Fulham’s heart. Now Eric Ten Hag’s side currently […]
Alejandro Garnacho came off the bench to score a dramatic injury-time goal as Manchester United secured a crucial 2-1 away win against Fulham at Craven Cottage on Sunday night.
The Red Devils looked destined to settle for a 1-1 draw before Garnacho’s left-footed strike broke Fulham’s heart.
Now, Eric Ten Hag’s side currently sit fifth in the table, 3 points behind Tottenham Hotspur in fourth, as we part ways with the World Cup.
United took the lead in the 14th minute thanks to Christian Eriksen’s first goal for the traveling team, having joined the Red Devils as a free agent in the summer. The Danish playmaker should have doubled United’s lead just before half-time, but he trailed his left-footed shot just short after Bruno Fernandes brought him down from the right flank.
Fulham were arguably the better team in the second half, but the heroics of David De Gea, the Spanish goalkeeper who time and time again turned back the years with save after save, kept them at bay. However, it was former United winger Daniel James who scored parity at the hour mark with a touch from close range following a low left-footed cross from Tom Cairney. United were to blame for conceding the goal that allowed former Chelsea player Willian Acres of space, who released Cairney with clever play, setting up the Scottish midfielder.
Garnacho: The man of the moment
Ten Hag replaced striker Antony Martial with Garnacho in the 72nd minute and the Argentine did not disappoint. In what was the last step of the play, the garnacho received the ball down the left flank from Luke Shaw before scoring a brace with Eriksen to launch himself into the Fulham box. It looked like Bobby Decordova-Reid had the wing covered, but the teenager burned through his opposition with speed to perfectly time a brilliant left-footed cross shot past Brad Leno into the Fulham goal.
Garnacho now has two goals in addition to his two assists in his last four games with the Red Devils. The youngster had previously scored against Real Sociedad in the Europa League fixture and made a sublime 30-minute cameo in a 4-2 win over Aston Villa midweek in the Carabao Cup. The Argentine set Old Trafford on fire with a magical assist to Scott McTominay, endearing to the local fans
The 18-year-old has quickly risen through the ranks since last season, playing regularly for the Under-23s. The Argentine made his senior debut for the club in April in a 1-1 draw against Chelsea. United secured the services of the Atletico Madrid midfielder in 2020, fending off interest from Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund in the process. Garnacho, who grew up in Madrid, played regularly in the Atlético de Madrid youth academy, earning the title of ‘Joya’ thanks to his precocious talent.
Gifted with sublime technical ability, the teenager turned heads in the 2021/22 season with the Under-18s with 10 goals and 5 assists in 27 appearances. However, it was in the 4-1 victory against Everton in the FA Youth Cup that he captured the headlines, beating the entire opposition line of defence, collecting the ball in his own half, before scoring, showing flashes of his natural ability and pace.
Garnacho was eventually called up for Argentina’s qualifying campaign, but has yet to make his Albiceleste debut. In truth, the World Cup probably came too quickly for the youngster, who did not make the Qatar cut for Lionel Scaloni’s side. However, there is no doubt that the midfielder will be a mainstay for the Argentina team in the years to come.
Manchester United, however, have a jewel in the rough on their hands, and with Ten Hag at the helm, he would feel the Dutch manager can polish the Argentine into a world beater for years to come.
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