End of year may be nigh, but this has to be the start for United, not a finale

LOOK WHAT IT MEANS: Manchester United's Rasmus Hojlund celebrates. Pic: Martin Rickett/PA Wire..

Alejandro Garnacho and Rasmus Hojlund gave Manchester United fans a glimpse of what is possible in 2024 by orchestrating a stirring, high-energy second-half comeback against Aston Villa; but, with only one game to go in 2023, this has to be the start of something and not a finale.

Garnacho’s double and Hojlund’s winner, after such a long wait to score in a United shirt, should be celebrated long into the night by supporters who have endured such a difficult season so far. Especially as it saw their team come from 2-0 down at half-time to win 3-2 in the end.

But if anyone who thinks this is United back for good, should perhaps take a reality pill. Enjoy it, yes, but don’t underplay the problems that manager Erik ten Hag and new investor Sir Jim Ratcliffe still have to tackle as the bells ring in a New Year and a new transfer window.

United finally remembered what it’s like to be cheered off the pitch at Old Trafford and it was a heady and exciting night, especially for young Hojlund who went 1,027 minutes waiting for this moment. 

Just the look on his face made the heart sing.

But now the challenge for United is to work out how can they show this kind of passion, this kind of energy, this kind of pace, in every half and every match from now on. Because it has been sorely missing.

Football is not judged on calendar years but, if it was, then history will not look back kindly on Manchester United’s efforts – or their progress – in 2023 despite this stunning victory.

There were certainly a pile of positives from the game, with Marcus Rashford also rediscovering his energy and potency after being restored to the team, and the side showing a tempo and urgency we haven’t seen too often in recent times.

But it must also be remembered that United went 2-0 down on home soil yet again before they hit second gear, and it would be hard to suggest that one high-energy half of football can paper over all the problems we have seen in recent months.

Looking back on almost an entire year of football (just Forest away still to play on 30 December), this match was an exception, not the rule; and that’s not progress.

The year began with a feeling that ten Hag was beginning to get a grip on the problems that had dogged the club for so long, under successive high-profile coaches. 

The Dutchman had been widely welcomed at Old Trafford and seen as an upgrade on the hapless caretaker Ralf Rangnick and on the popular but under-achieving Ole Gunnar Solskjaer before him. But, in fact, he has found himself mired in the same quicksand that dragged down so many of his predecessors.

What United fans dreamt of was a manager who would bring a defined style to a team that had lacked both identity and energy, plus a new discipline that channelled the days of Sir Alex Ferguson and those heady years of success.

We saw that in bursts on this occasion, against a tired Villa side, but stats for 2023 show that if a table was drawn up for 2023 as a calendar year, United would currently sit in fifth place, outside of the Champions League places and well adrift of fourth-placed Liverpool.

It’s not difficult to suggest that isn’t good enough for a club the size of United, especially when you remember the form with which they started the year.

Ten Hag’s side came into 2023 on the back of five wins in a row – and then started it with four more, including a victory over Manchester City at Old Trafford.

By the end of February they had also won a trophy – beating Newcastle United in the Carabao Cup Final at Wembley.

There were some dips before the season concluded, notably of course that demoralising 7-0 defeat at Anfield. But there were also some signs of progress – reaching the FA Cup Final, for instance, and going from January to the end of May without losing a single game in any competition at Old Trafford.

It felt like they were going places and that ten Hag had begun to rebuild the club’s reputation of being unbeatable on home soil – even if away wins persistently deserted them.

Since then, the team that couldn’t lose at home last season has turned into one that cannot win there – which is why beating Villa in such dramatic fashion means so much.

The defensive deficiency was still evident in the first goal conceded, when United’s rear guard lost concentration as John McGinn delayed his wide free-kick - and then curled in a cross that ended up in the net.

It was even clearer for Villa’s second, when Lenglet was left entirely unmarked from a corner to head an assist for Dendoncker’s clever finish.

The boos that rang around Old Trafford were deafening, but not unexpected or unusual, which says a lot about where United are.

But the second half, and Garnacho’s performance in particular, showed there is hope.

The Argentine looked dangerous whenever he was on the ball - and thought he had scored minutes into the second half, only to find he had failed to stay onside when running onto a fine pass from.

Eventually, he found a way to hit the net, from a stunning Rashford pass, and then to equalise with another tidy finish.

The fact that it was Hojlund who grabbed the winner made it all the sweeter, but let’s hold off before saying United are back.

Journalists who used to write ‘two steps forward and then one step back’ about the Red Devils have been reversing that phrase recently; because to say United are moving forward at all hasn’t stood up to scrutiny.

Can this performance, this result and the arrival of Sir Jim make a difference to their future?

Perhaps, because football is all about atmosphere, positivity, and momentum. So, starting the New Year with a smile can go a long way.

But it doesn't mean there isn't a lot of work to do in the coming months to turn United into what they should be: title contenders. This was a promising night - but 2024 has to be better than 2023, and that's going to need performances like this week-in, week-out.