When Manchester United left the London Stadium in late December after defeat to West Ham, they were without a goal in more than six hours of football and a frustrated Rasmus Hojlund had yet to score in the Premier League, five months after a £72 million move to Old Town. Trafford.
It was almost the end of the year and the young Dane was substituted within an hour that day after once again failing to break his Premier League duck.
But three days later, Hojlund finally hit the ground running against Aston Villa on Boxing Day and he hasn’t stopped since.
Here, on his 21st birthday, United’s big summer signing continued to mature as he scored his fourth league goal (five in six if you count the FA Cup) and put Erik ten Hag’s side on course to a third win in a week.
The youngster who couldn’t buy a goal became the youngest player to score in four consecutive league games for United.
Rasmus Hojlund continued his good streak for Manchester United, scoring in his fourth straight Premier League match
He scored his side’s first goal before Alejandro Garnacho (centre) scored a brace for his side
Erik ten Hag’s team guided West Ham to sixth place in the rankings on Sunday with a comfortable victory
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Two more from youth player Alejandro Garnacho on the day United paid tribute to the Munich victims, the Ten Hag team kept in touch with the top four and handed West Ham their first defeat of 2024 after six games.
There is a palpable sense of optimism around Old Trafford at the moment as Ten Hag gets the bodies back and his team starts to click. The significance of a clean slate should also not be underestimated.
The return of Lisandro Martinez was a huge boost after two operations on a broken foot, and the only blemish on this victory was the sight of the Argentine limping in some distress in the 70th minute after hurting his right knee following a collision with Vladimir . Coufal.
Martinez was replaced by Varane, who was the only change to the team that started Thursday night’s dramatic 4-3 win over Wolves. Harry Maguire replaced the Frenchman who is at the stage of his career where his knees are struggling to cope with three games in a week.
Meanwhile, former United boss David Moyes made the decision to leave new signing Kalvin Phillips on the bench after his debut mistake against Bournemouth in midweek, and it did not end well.
“I just feel like this was his first game back,” Moyes said. “He got 70 minutes and hopefully he can make an impact from the bench today.”
The two managers carried wreaths as they led their teams out of the tunnel to commemorate the 66th anniversary of the Munich air disaster on Tuesday.
Both David Moyes and Erik ten Hag laid wreaths to commemorate the 66th anniversary of the Munich air disaster
The East London match in December was an exciting affair and this one started no different. Andre Onana made a smart reflex save to turn the ball away after Thomas Soucek met James Ward-Prowse’s header and Edson Alvarez managed to get an effort on target even with Casemiro hanging from his shoulders.
United countered and Alphonse Areola deflected Bruno Fernandes’ dipping shot from 25 yards just after needing treatment as he came off worse after a collision with his own defender Kurt Zouma. The Frenchman did not appear again in the second half, with Lukasz Fabianski taking over on goal.
Soucek’s shot on the turn went just wide of the ankle of Maguire, who then made an exceptional tackle to deny Mohammed Kudus.
Martinez was equally tenacious but went over the top in his challenge on Kudus on the edge of the penalty area, and the look of horror on his face had a lot to do with the fact that he knew this gave Ward-Prowse a clear view of the target had been achieved. . However, Onana urged his wall to jump, while Garnacho took on the role of draft stopper, and Casemiro did so only by blocking the free-kick with his head.
Andre Onana was in good form for United and had to make an early save to prevent an early effort from Thomas Souck
United’s tenacity played a role in Hojlund’s goal in the 23rd minute. Martinez played the ball into the infield from the left and Zouma headed clear towards Ward-Prowse. Casemiro, however, was quick to close him down and punch the ball to Hojlund, who advanced towards goal.
The Dane looked like he was going to shoot with his left foot, but fooled Nayed Aguerd by switching to the right ball and hitting it into the opposite corner. It was the mark of a young man of rich form and self-confidence.
After Ward-Prowse shot wide from a promising position, Hojlund had the final say in the first half after Fernandes broke free with his clever back heel. He got to the end of the move, but this time placed the ball on the wrong side of the near post.
Garnacho was in good form and scored both his goals in the second half, the second coming just minutes from time
The Hammers had a great chance to equalize within minutes of the restart when Maguire was far too casual in playing a back pass to Onana and Emerson Palmieri cleared the ball off his toes. The Italian raced through on goal with only Onana to beat, but seemed to be in two minds and lifted his shot over.
It cost Moyes’ team a lot of money when Garnacho gave United the lead twice in the 49th minute. Fernandes spread the ball wide to the Argentine winger on the right, and he cut inside onto his left foot. There were three West Ham players in the area but none closed him down and Garnacho’s shot took a crucial deflection from the hapless Aguerd who was past Fabianski.
United were now on the rise and Rashford and Diogo Dalot both went close before Rashford spooned an effort high into the Stretford End, much to his own frustration. Dalot then produced a fantastic block to deny Jarrod Bowen after Alvarez Maguire’s pinpoint pass had eluded him to release the striker.
One concern for United, however, is the loss of defender Lisandro Martinez to injury in the second half
Martinez has been impressive for his side since returning from a long-term injury four games ago
The sight of Martinez’s departure will be a major concern for United given the huge impact he has made on this team following a comeback that started just four games ago.
But at least the day ended on a high when Phillips, who cost West Ham a goal when losing possession just minutes after his debut against Bournemouth, was robbed again here in the 84th minute.
Scott McTominay and Hojlund worked together to steal the ball from the Manchester City loanee, and McTominay raced onto the pitch. He fed Garnacho, who fired a shot past Fabianski for his second of the match.