'Could be a game-changer': Alan Shearer heaps praise on Man Utd star who has 'put up with a lot'
Rasmus Højlund finally opened his Premier League account to help deliver a big three points for Manchester United.
Manchester United wrapped up their Christmas celebrations with a stunning comeback win over Aston Villa on Boxing Day. The winner of the night came from Rasmus Højlund, who finally netted his long-awaited first Premier League goal.
It was a tough start for the Reds, who were down 2-0 after less than half an hour, but a spirited second half performance clawed back three huge goals to deny Villa the chance to climb up to second in the table. Alejandro Garnacho produced a glittering performance, scoring the first two goals for United, despite already having a strike chalked off by VAR for offside.
Danny Murphy and Alan Shearer appeared on Tuesday's BBC Match of the Day to dissect the results and they were full of praise for the two young goal-scorers. After his Man of the Match display, Murphy hailed Garnacho as 'outstanding' during his Villa performance.
"He'd been switched to the right-hand side to bring [Marcus] Rashford in, he looked more comfortable, more, productive, Rashford looked happy and they were at it in the second half. You could sense there was a difference in United's play."
Højlund has taken focus of the night's headlines after finally opening up his Premier League account with the Reds after more than 1,000 minutes without a goal. The £72 million summer signing fired home the winner and Old Trafford erupted, with the elation and relief simply bursting out of him during his celebration.
"He should enjoy it because he's had to put up with a lot. Fairly at times, unfairly at other times because of a lack of service," Shearer said. "But this is the moment he's been waiting for. This could be a game-changer for him in terms of confidence and belief. He's only 20 and he's had to put up with a lot already with being so inexperienced, but what a finish.
"And as I said, for going forward, that could and should mean so much to him. We know what it's like because we all talk about the goals that make the difference for forwards, and just look at his reaction. So him going into games in the future, that should be fantastic for him."