‘The best Boxing Day ever’: Jonny Evans’ wife shares emotional reaction to United’s comeback win against Aston Villa after Alejandro Garnacho and Rasmus Hojlund inspire stunning turnaround
- Manchester United came back from two goals down to win 3-2 on Boxing Day
- Rasmus Hojlund scored his first Premier League goal for the club
- It's tight at the top of the tree with Arsenal, Liverpool and Aston Villa all dropping points… so who has won Christmas so far? – It all starts
Whatever the time, Manchester United's comeback win against Aston Villa on Boxing Day was the perfect Christmas gift for their fans.
And few cherished the 3-2 victory more than Jonny Evans' nine-year-old daughter Lottie, who enjoyed a Boxing Day to remember.
“Our nine-year-old just said 'that was the best Boxing Day I've ever had',” Helen Evans, the wife of the United centre-half, posted on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.
The Northern Ireland international returned to Old Trafford in the summer eight years after leaving the club, where he reunited with his wife, who works for MUTV.
The couple started dating in 2011 and tied the knot two years later, before Evans left United to sign for West Bromwich in 2015.
Jonny Evans (right) celebrates Rasmus Hojlund's late winner against Aston Villa on Boxing Day
Evans' wife Helen said the comeback win against Villa was their nine-year-old daughter's “best Boxing Day ever”.
His wife, née McConnell, remained at the club and was part of the media team that worked with United on their pre-season tour of the United States earlier this summer.
And Evans' wife then replied with a laughing emoji when prominent United blogger Scott Patterson responded to her first post with a photo of her husband celebrating Federico Macheda's stoppage-time winner against Villa at Old Trafford in April 2009.
On his senior debut, the Italian secured a dramatic 3-2 win, which ultimately shifted the momentum in the title race to United after Liverpool surpassed them at the top of the table a day earlier.
And there was no shortage of drama at Old Trafford on Boxing Day, as United won their first Premier League in three weeks after being two goals down.
Evans' wife, née McConnell, has worked for United's in-house broadcaster MUTV for more than a decade and first met her husband during an interview in 2011.
Evans and McConnell married in a lavish ceremony in Northern Ireland in 2013
Alejandro Garnacho scored twice to put United level in the second half
Before Hojlund finally opened his Premier League account four months after joining
Erik ten Hag's men were sent off at half-time as Villa led 2-0 thanks to goals from John McGinn and Leander Dendoncker.
But as INEOS sporting director Sir Dave Brailsford watched from the stands in the first match since Sir Jim Ratcliffe sealed his takeover of a 25 per cent stake in the club, United roared back in the second half.
A brace from Alejandro Garnacho drew the hosts level before Rasmus Hojlund scored his first Premier League goal since a £73m move from Atalanta in the summer to snatch a 3-2 win in the 82nd minute.
“I am the happiest man in the world right now,” the Dane said after the final whistle.
'You can also see that in the festivities. We believed until the end and showed a lot of character.
'It's one of the best days of my life. It's been a while since I played in the Premier League so I'm happy to get the first one and hopefully I can build on that and keep going.”
The win lifted United to sixth in the table, three points behind Manchester City, who have two games in hand over their rivals.
Villa is now in third place, three points behind leaders Liverpool.
