The hosts produced a scintillating comeback in the second half to win the action-packed contest 3-2 in front of a jam-packed Old Trafford crowd.
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It was a Boxing Day to remember for Manchester United supporters, as they saw their club overcome a massive deficit to win an important Premier League game. The Red Devils were 2-0 down heading into half-time against an in-form Aston Villa side. However, the hosts produced a scintillating comeback in the second half to win the action-packed contest 3-2 in front of a jam-packed Old Trafford crowd.
One of the biggest positives from the game was Manchester United’s front three. They attacked with real force and made life difficult for the opponents. Marcus Rashford, who started on the left wing, set up Alejandro Garnacho for the opener and was a massive threat on that flank. Garnacho scored another, while centre-forward Rasmus Hojlund also got on the scoresheet. After the game, skipper Bruno Fernandes singled out Rashford and praised his contribution on the night.
“Marcus [Rashford] was pretty dangerous today. I think for the first two goals he was involved and even the one that was offside. He was involved in everything today, pressurising [the Villa team] too. I think we could have got a few more balls in behind to Marcus, because we know the pace he has and the movement he has. If we were better with the long pass, we could have got even more out of him,” he told MUTV.
Meanwhile, manager Erik ten Hag was also full of praise for Rashford after his impressive outing against Aston Villa in the thrilling Premier League clash. “I think he played very good. But he was ill during a period [of time]. But also, he had one or two games that we prefer to play Garnacho over [on] the left side, and because he [Garnacho] deserved it,” he told in his press conference.
The manager added: “He showed he was not only a threat, but he had key actions: assists, shots on target and scored goals. So yeah, there is also internal competition, but we have to see how we fit them in with togetherness. And today we played Alejandro on the right side, and that can be a solution, but it can also be fluid. But also, I know Rashford will also score from the right side.”
One of the notable changes to the Starting XI was seeing Garnacho play on the right instead of his usual left-wing position. Asked about it, ten Hag said, “I think we did it previously as well, and then he was almost more comfortable on the left. But yeah, I think he can play on the right as well. And, today, I think he was from that right side, over 90 minutes, absolutely a threat, and scored twice. But I think the whole frontline played very good, and invested so lot runs behind, and the timings were so good, and I think it was continually a threat for the opponent.”
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