FIVE ASIDES Premier League: Fulham 1, United 2
Alejandro Garnacho has arrived. Still only 18, sent on for the last 18 minutes of this strange half-season, he had the last word with the very last kick. It wasn’t just the timing: it was the pace, the desire and the composure. That goal will hang in the air for the next month, keeping United fans warm as they watch their national team try to look decent in the desert.
The man-of-the-match award went to Joao Palinha, but that was before the moment of the match. Tireless as Palinha had been with his tackles, the real star of the show was Christian Eriksen. He scored his first United goal, picked up his sixth assist and had the stamina to make vital contributions in the 14th minute and the 93rd.
Both goals came from fine flowing moves, with Eriksen involved in each not once but twice. For his own goal, he slipped the ball forward to Anthony Martial, who teed up Bruno Fernandes, whose deflected shot gave Eriksen a tap-in at the far post (but only because he busted a gut to get there). For the winner, Eriksen played a one-two-three with Garnacho, finding him on the left wing, receiving a simple return pass, then playing a pinpoint through ball. Magic.
Afterwards I got an email from Rob Smyth. “Eriksen,” he said, “is fast becoming my favourite United player since the mid-2000s.”
Meanwhile Cristiano Ronaldo was making a fool of himself. His 90-minute moan to Piers Morgan was the most self-defeating TV interview since Prince Andrew thought it would be a good idea to chat to Emily Maitlis. Ronaldo won over nobody, even though he said some of what needs saying about the Glazers. If you bank hundreds of thousands of pounds a week and then refuse to come off the bench, you are in no position to talk about respect. It’s time to show him the door, without a pay-off.
Tim de Lisle writes about sport for The Guardian and music for The Mail on Sunday. If you’re on Twitter, do follow him and United Writing.