Manchester United were in an abysmal situation before their dramatic 3-2 win against Aston Villa. The Red Devils didn’t score a single goal in their last four matches and collected just one point from their last three Premier League matches, which included losses to clubs like West Ham United and Bournemouth.
Erik ten Hag was under massive pressure following these results, and the announcement of the arrival of Sir Jim Ratcliffe, as the partial owner of the club, made things even more difficult for the Dutchman. He really needed a result, and his players didn’t disappoint him.
Here are the three key takeaways for Manchester United fans following the club’s win against Aston Villa on the Boxing day:
Things are clicking
It seems as if Manchester United are back in the groove. It would be too early to say that, considering they were in disarray just a few days back. However, the arrival of Raphael Varane and Christian Eriksen, did ease things up for them.
There was stability in defense and creativity in midfield. Likes of Eriksen and Bruno Fernandes combined well in the middle of the pitch, and the front three of United, did justice to the balls provided to them.
Signs of improvement in attack
Marcus Rashford is nowhere close to what he was in the prevailing season. United’s new signing Rasmus Hojlund was struggling to get a goal in the Premier League and Alejandro Garnacho was delivering erratic performances for the Red Devils.
All three players rose to the occasion on boxing day. Rashford got into dangerous areas and delivered a crucial assist to Garnacho for the opening goal. Hojlund broke his goal scoring drought in his 15th Premier League appearance for the Manchester club.
After over 1000 minutes of frustration in the EPL, he was on the seventh sky, when he netted the decisive goal for his side. Speaking on Match of the Day, former Newcastle forward Alan Shearer said the goal "could be a game changer" for Hojlund. Lastly, Garnacho was decisive in the final third, which was quite an issue in the matches gone by.
Good omen for Sir Jim Ratcliffe era
In due time, Ineos owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe would be announced as the new owner of the club. He has been promised 25 per cent stake of the club by the current owners Glazers.
Head of Sports at Ineos Sir Dave Brailsroad and former Juventus Chief Executive were there to witness the game. They are supposed to take the reins at the administrative level in the coming months and they seemed dissatisfied with United’s performance in the first half. However, they must be delighted after their second half heroics.
Ten Hag is expecting their arrival to bolster the situation of the club based on the experience they have.
“We're looking forward," he said. "I think it is positive for the club they are stepping in. They have a lot of experience in sport at the highest level - F1, a cycling team, football clubs. They can only help us and support us to reach our targets.” mentioned the former Ajax manager.
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