Manchester United emerged victorious against Sheffield United in the Premier League.
There were definitely a few standout performers on the night. Bruno Fernandes was obviously exceptional, Harry Maguire was nothing short of world-class and Kobbie Mainoo once again shined.
In the end, it was a good performance. Despite going two goals down, the Red Devils fought back well. The night was rounded off with a Rasmus Hojlund strike, which was arguably the most satisfying goal on the night.
The Danish forward has been bang out of form, without a goal since February. He will have been the most relieved man in Old Trafford on Wednesday night.
Rasmus Hojlund breaks Manchester United duck
This was Hojlund’s first strike since he got two against Luton Town on February 18th 2024 in the Premier League.
This was a grand total of six games without a Red Devils goal, which was a stark contrast to his record-breaking form prior to his injury when he bagged seven times in six league appearances.
As per The Athletic, they provided some stats across his drought – which are very intriguing.
‘Hojlund played 612 minutes in all competitions for United but managed only seven shots, with four of them being blocked and just two hitting the target.’
‘During the same timeframe, he only touched the ball in the opposition penalty area 23 times, and his expected goals figure (xG), which is a metric that measures the quality of each shot before the player shoots, was 0.49.’
But despite the 21-year-old misfiring, Erik ten Hag has stuck by him, and that needs to be commended.
What Rasmus Hojlund did at the full-time whistle v Sheffield
Hojlund was replaced in the 89th minute by Manchester United academy graduate, Ethan Wheatley, meaning he finished the game in the dugout on the substitutes bench.
The Athletic reported that as soon as the final whistle was blown, Hojlund leapt from his seat in the dugout and immediately went to shake Ten Hag’s hand. This gesture speaks volumes, he’s clearly very thankful to the gaffer who has stuck with him over the last few months.
Due to little to no alternatives given the ludicrous amount of injuries the Red Devils have faced, the Manchester United manager was forced to stick with Hojlund through the difficult patch.
Ten Hag has persisted with the forward, and he finally got his reward against the Blades. Now, we can only hope the £64m man can kick on towards the end of the season. His first-ever cup final in red awaits.