FOOTBALL – Manchester United’s Alejandro Garnacho scored with a magical overhead kick in the third minute to send the visitors on their way to a 3-0 win yesterday over an Everton team already reeling in their first Premier League game after being docked 10 points.
The 19-year-old Argentine leapt acrobatically to meet Diogo Dalot’s cross, firing the ball into the opposite corner past stranded goalkeeper Jordan Pickford before celebrating with a Cristiano Ronaldo-style pirouette at Goodison Park.
A Marcus Rashford penalty and clever Anthony Martial finish wrapped up the victory in the second half
Garnacho’s stunning strike drew comparisons to Wayne Rooney’s famous goal for United in the 2011 Manchester derby.
“Superb – something amazing and I have no words to describe it. It is out of this world. Special from a special kid,” said United captain Bruno Fernandes.
Erik ten Hag’s United team are now sixth in the standings on 24 points after 13 games, while Sean Dyche’s Everton side, who were 14th before their points deduction for breaches of the league’s financial rules, are second-bottom on four points.
Rashford doubled United’s lead with a penalty in the 56th, awarded after VAR ruled Martial was tripped by Ashley Young. Fernandes handed the ball for the spot kick to Rashford, who had only scored once this season and not since September 3.
Martial then sent hundreds of Everton fans heading to the Goodison Park exits in the 75th minute when he ran onto Fernandes’s pass and dinked it over Pickford for an easy goal.
United, who had stumbled to their worst start to a season in 61 years, have won five of their last six games and their five wins and 15 points since the start of October are a league-best.
Earlier, Tottenham Hotspur slipped to a third successive Premier League defeat as they were beaten 2-1 at home by Aston Villa in an absorbing clash full of chances.
Villa’s first win on the road in just over two months took them above Tottenham into fourth place.
The hosts were given a deserved lead by Giovani Lo Celso’s deflected shot in the 22nd minute and could have been comfortably ahead before Pau Torres levelled with a thumping header deep in first-half stoppage time.
Chances continued to flow both ways after the break but it was Villa who went ahead with a fine finish by Ollie Watkins just past the hour mark after being set up by Youri Tielemans.
Unai Emery’s upwardly-mobile Villa side have 28 points from 13 games, behind Liverpool only on goal difference and just two points behind table-topping Arsenal.
Tottenham, who were unbeaten in their first 10 are down to fifth place on 26 points and face champions Manchester City away next weekend.