NO MATCHO FOR NACHO
Cottagers crash late as Argentine whizzkid looks to have big future
IT WAS an incredible finish to a roller-coaster week for wonderkid Alejandro Garnacho.
The Argentina starlet missed out on the World Cup squad but then made his point with the 93rd-minute winner in true Manchester United fashion.
Garnacho, 18, stepped off the bench to become United’s last-gasp saviour in a game they hardly deserved to win.
The forward was on Argentina’s long list but failed to make the cut, despite his emergence at Old Trafford while living the dream of working alongside Cristiano Ronaldo.
There is a certain irony in Ronaldo missing United’s last two games and Garnacho getting two assists in midweek and then the late winner at Craven Cottage.
Maybe we are witnessing the final days of one legend at Old Trafford and the emergence of a new superstar who is full of pace, skill and ability.
Garnacho also looks like he is loving the moment as, after scoring, he raced over to the United fans, tore his shirt off and celebrated wildly. It was a special moment and something to bring some much-needed hope for United in their final game before the World Cup break, with Erik ten Hag’s team now three points behind fourth-placed Spurs with a game in hand.
Fulham were terrific and outplayed United but the never-say-die spirit is ingrained in the Red Devils’ DNA and in the youngsters who graduate from the club’s academy. Garnacho has a different background as he was born in Spain, now represents Argentina – through his mother – and was signed from Atletico Madrid’s youth set-up two years ago.
But, rather like Ivan Toney who scored twice at Manchester City after being snubbed by England, the World Cup has played a role in some lovely stories this weekend. And, after all, Argentina do have some pretty special strength in depth. Christian Eriksen (inset with Martial and Rashford) scored the opener and will complete one of the great football comebacks when he goes to Qatar with Denmark after his collapse at the Euros.
He struck after 14 minutes with a goal straight out of the Ten Hag coaching manual. United’s Brazil midfielder Casemiro pressed and won the ball from Tom Cairney,
Eriksen led the charge forward and then slid home to score from Bruno Fernandes’ low cross.
It was Fernandes’ 100th Premier League game and that made it 38 goals and 27 assists (65 goal involvements) and only Eric Cantona (84), Ruud van Nistelrooy (78) and Dwight Yorke (66) have more.
But this Fulham team is different under Marco Silva and they were superb in the way they fought back.
Carlos Vinicius and Tim Ream were denied by brilliant saves from David De Gea but you felt the Fulham goal was coming and it was written in the stars for former United player Dan James, on loan at Fulham from Leeds, to score it.
James came off the bench after 59 minutes and two minutes later he scored from Cairney’s cross.
It was no more than the Cottagers deserved and it looked like they would go on to win.
Then Garnacho got the ball, swapped passes with Eriksen and raced through to steal victory for United