InkBlog

Erik ten Hag: “The atmosphere changed a lot from the first half to the second,,” says United’s manager in an interview with Amazon Prime. “But if you look at the first half you are losing because of two set plays, in moments where we were not so focused. I think already in the first half we played quite well, and kept trying and trying.

“At half-time I said to the team to ‘keep believing and keep doing what we did, actually do even more’. We needed to put more and more pressure on. At 1-2 when we added pressure you see what happened.”

Rasmus Hojlund speaks: “It has been a while [his first Premier League goal] but I am very happy,” he tells Amazon Prime. “I am the happiest man alive right now. You can see from the celebrations as well. Like [Alejandro Garnacho] said we believed in ourselves until the very end and got the win today.

“As the manager has said, before I have scored a few goals in the Champions League but of course it has been a while in the Premier League before scoring. Now I have got it and I hope I can just build on that and keep going.”

Match report: Manchester United 3-2 Aston Villa

Premier League: Alejandro Garnacho scored a brace and Rasmus Hojlund finally got off the mark in the Premier League, as Manchester United overturned a two-goal half-time deficit to beat Aston Villa. Jamie Jackson reports from Old Trafford …

A quick recap: United went behind when a John McGinn free-kick from the touchline was allowed to bounce in their six-yard box before sailing past Andre Onana. Villa doubled their lead, taking advantage of some awful marking when Leander Dendoncker flicked home Clement Lenglet’s header.

It was one-way traffic in the second half, when United finally got their act together. Alejandro Garnacho restored parity with a fine brace, before Rasmus Hojlund sealed the win with a first Premier League goal that’s been a long time coming.

This post was amended on 27 December 2023 to correct the picture caption, which had earlier misidentified Rasmus Højlund as Alejandro Garnacho.

Full-time: Manchester United 3-2 Aston Villa

Peep! Peep! Peeeeeeeeep! It’s all over at Old Trafford, where United have come back from a two-goal half-time deficit to win 3-2 against Aston Villa. It was a cracking game of football and United were well worth their win despite a woeful first half performance.

90+9 min: Zaniolo fouls Dalot deep in United territory and the United defender goes down “injured” in a bid to waste a few more seconds.

90+7 min: Villa continue to plug away but are struggling to get within striking distance of the United goal. They’ve been comprehensively outplayed in this second half. Hannibal wins a precious and timely free-kick for United deep in Villa territory, drawing a foul from Iroegbunam.

90+4 min: Manchester United double-substitution: Dan Gore and Hannibal replace Christian Eriksen and Alejandro Garnacho.

90+3 min: Garnacho goes down injured, suffering from cramp. Emi Martinez helps him with his stretches.

90 min: The referee’s assistant raises the board, signalling nine minutes of added time.

88 min: I wouldn’t have given Manchester United a snowball’s chance in hell of getting back into this game, so they deserve immense credit for turning things around in this second half. They make a substitution, with Rasmus Hojlund making way for Willy Kambwala. It’s time to shut up shop.

86 min: Villa double-substitution: Tim Iroegbunam and Jhon Duran come on for John McGinn and Leander Dendoncker.

84 min: That was a lovely finish from Hojlund, who had played over 1,000 minutes of Premier League football without troubling the scoreboard operators. His effort was curled and went in off the post, prompting wild celebrations from the player himself and the occupants of the Stretford End who had the best view of his goal.

GOAL! Manchester United 3-2 Aston Villa (Hojlund 82)

United take the lead! Rasmus Hojlund scores his first Premier League goal, swivelling to hook the ball home at a corner after it had hit McGinn’s knee and sat up kindly for him. To say the young Dane is delighted would be quite the understatement.

80 min: Manchester United double-substitution: Antony and Scott McTominay replace Marcus Rashford and Kobbie Mainoo.

78 min: Villa enjoy a rare period of sustained possession in this second half, earning themselves some momentary respite from the United onslaught.

76 min: Aston Villa double-substitution: Moussa Diaby and Nicolo Zaniolo replace Jacob Ramsey and Leon Bailey.

73 min: John McGinn is denied by a Jonny Evans block on the the United line, although the veteran defender didn’t seem to know a great deal about his crucial intervention.

Moments later, Bruno Fernades is booked for an act of petulance, which prompts him to go into a rage with the referee. He’s looking to avoid a second yellow for dissent and should know better, considering what happend Diogo Dalot' in the closing moments of United’s game against Liverpool.

GOAL! Manchester United 2-2 Aston Villa (Garnacho 71)

United are level! Garnacho fires home with his left foot, his shot taking a wicked deflection off Diego Carlos after the ball had broken his way in the Villa penalty area.

70 min: Ezri Konsa dispossesses Marcus Rashford as the United winger tries to cut inside from the left and square the ball. Konsa is playing out of position at right-back today and doing a decent job.

68 min: They’re trailing on the scoreboard but Manchester United are playing pretty well. Old Trafford is rocking and Villa are currently clinging on with a little over 20 minutes to go.

66 min: Hojlund is bundled over in the Villa penalty area by Diego Carlos as he runs on to a pass from deep. United appeal for a penalty but none is forthcoming. Hojlund was – you’ve guessed it – offside as he began his run.

62 min: Garnacho takes on and beats Moreno after controlling a long pin-point punt from Onana. Cutting in from the right, he shoots harmlessly wide of the far post instead of squaring the ball for Rasmus Hojlund.

60 min: Villa go close, but Onana shifts his weight to get down quickly and get a strong left hand behind the ball to stop Leon Bailey’s header from crossing the line. The Villa midfielder had got on the end of an excellent cross from Alex Moreno.

GOAL! Manchester United 1-2 Aston Villa (Garnacho 59)

There it is! Fernandes played a wonderfully weighted pass down the inside left, Rashford squared it and Alejandro Garnacho slotted home into the bottom corner. The ball struck Martinez’s foot on its way in but he was unable to keep it out.

57 min: United have certainly upped their game in this second half and could rescue something if they can end their goal drought. They’re knocking on the door but remain two down.

55 min: Martinez charges out of his penalty area to contest a Fernades ball over the top for Rashford and cleans out the United winger. Did he get the ball first? He certainly did and it was there to be won in a 50-50 chase. That’s good, decisive goalkeeping from the World Cup-winner.

54 min: It’s worth noting that in the build-up to that non-goal, Marcus Rashford could almost certainly have gone it alone as United broke upfield in numbers. Between him and Garnacho, they made a dog’s breakfast of what was an otherwise excellent counter-attack.

52 min: Lucas Digne did himself a mischief in trying to prevent Garnachjo’s strike going into the back of the Villa net and has been helped off the pitch by a couple of his team’s medical staff. He’s replaced by Alex Moreno.

GOAL DISALLOWED! Garnacho was offside!

Of course he was! He was fractionally ahead of Rashford when the ball was played his way and the goal is chalked off by the Stockley Park curtain-twitchers. Their decision is correct and what will frustrate Erik ten Hag is that Garnacho had no need to be offside.

GOAL! Manchester United 1-2 Aston Villa (Garnacho 48)

United pull one back! Alejandro Garnacho rounds off a superb United counter-attack, smashing the ball home after rounding Martinez, having run on to a pass from Rashford. Was he onside? The VAR Check is ongoing.

47 min: Lucas Digne sends a cross into the United penalty area and facing his own goal, Varane hooks the ball clear before it makes it's way to Ollie Watkins at the far post. That’s a crucial intervention.

Second half: Manchester United 0-2 Aston Villa

46 min: Play resumes, with no changes in personnel on either side. Almost immediately, Diogo Dalot is penalised for clattering into the back of Leon Bailey. It’s a free-kick for Villa in the centre-circle.

Fun fact: In a testament to Aston Villa’s defensive discipline, Manchester United were caught offside six times in that first half. Six!

Half-time: Manchester United 0-2 Aston Villa

Peep! Peep! Peep! Craig Pawson’s half-time whistle is greeted by a chorus of boos from the stands as Manchester United’s players troop off for their half-time rollocking two goals down.

John McGinn opened the scoring for Villa with a whipped free-kick from the touchline that bounced on its way straight past Andre Onana, before Clement Lenglet was given the freedom of Old Trafford to tee up Leander Dendoncker for Villa’s second at a corner.

United haven’t scored a goal in over seven hours of football but need a minimum of two to rescue anything from this game.

45+3 min: Bruno Fernades is penalised for offside – and he’s well offside – as United try to work the ball into the Villa penalty area from a free-kick.

45 min: “It’s a strange feeling, but watching Man Utd at the moment – certainly for that first goal – is actually quite embarrassing,” writes Gareth Wilson. “The way they were worked over, and worked out, by that free kick was like watching kids play against slightly older kids. You just feel sorry for them. And the defending for the second goal? Wow.”

Does anyone actually feel sorry for them? Most people without a dog in the fight find their current woes extremely funny, apart from their own fans … who aren’t so much sympathetic as downright furious with this shower of underperforming divas.

44 min: Fernades plays a long diagonal towards Rashford, who takes on and beats Ezri Konsa. Cutting inside, he shifts the ball on to his left foot and then spanks it wide of the near upright.

40 min: Marcus Rashford is penalised for offside after running on to a ball in behind down the inside left channel from Christian Eriksen.

35 min: Possibly motivated by the possibility of outright revolt in the stands of Old Trafford, Manchester United’s players appear to have realised this isn’t actually fever dream and is actually happening in real life. Hojlund eschews a chance to volley a ball dinked his way goalwards first time but tees up Rashford instead. His low drive is saved comfortably by Martinez.

34 min: Congratulations to Manchester United, who have just celebrated their 700th minute of gadding about to little or no effect on the football pitch without scoring a goal.

33 min: Alejandro Garnacho receives a fine pass from Fernandes drills the ball low and hard across the face of the Villa six-yard box. Trying to sneak in behind Diego Carlos, Hojlund is unable to get in position to tap it home.

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