In the penultimate Premier League match before the World Cup, Manchester United’s teenage forward Alejandro Garnacho scored in the third minute of stoppage time to secure a thrilling 2-1 victory over Fulham.
After Dan James (61) had negated Christian Eriksen’s first goal for Manchester United (14) with his first for the Whites against his previous team, the Cottagers were on the verge of holding Erik ten Hag’s team to a draw when substitute Garnacho broke their hearts.
The 18-year-old seized on Eriksen’s through ball with just seconds left and calmly finished past Bernd Leno for his first Premier League goal, following up on an impressive cameo in United’s 4-2 Carabao Cup victory over Aston Villa on Thursday.
In the absence of Cristiano Ronaldo, who missed their midweek game due to an apparent illness, Manchester United earlier squandered a string of opportunities. David de Gea also produced a number of excellent saves.
Though Manchester United will enter the six-week domestic break for the World Cup only three points behind fourth-placed Tottenham despite having played one fewer game, Garnacho’s spectacular winner reinforced his already-expanding reputation.