THE SONG ECHOING around Old Trafford had a familiar ring to it.
Viva Garnacho
Running down the wing, hear United sing
Viva Garnacho
It was a tune originally borne from the brilliance of Cristiano Ronaldo as he began to emerge as the figurehead of the great Manchester United team which won three consecutive Premier League titles from 2007 to 2009 – with a Champions League triumph sandwiched in between.
Erik ten Hag still has a considerable amount of work to reach anywhere near those heights but here was yet more evidence of the strength of the rejuvenation that has taken place since he took charge.
And Alejandro Garnacho’s glorious reminder of his burgeoning talent with a 90th-minute winner to break West Ham hearts served as reason for the United faithful to hail the young Argentine.
Ever since Ronaldo sat down with Piers Morgan before heading to Saudi Arabia, the song has been passed down to the heir apparent.
Moments like this one for that stunning winning goal saw him take another step towards the throne.
Captain Harry Maguire said in the immediate aftermath that the 18-year-old “has the world at his feet” and it was the softness of touch combined with the precise curled finish in the 90th minute that sealed this turnaround.
As the ball spun and dropped from the sky following the excellent Wout Weghorst’s blocked shot, Garnacho’s eyes remained fixed on ensuring his control was pristine.
Approaching injury time, and having been chopped down on the left flank only a few moments previously, the teenager’s confidence never wavered.
Like his performance all night, this final, crucial action was carried out with purpose. He didn’t just kill the ball dead, he did so in a manner that allowed him shoot instantly.
Old Trafford erupted in celebration at the goal, and then hailed their new hero in song. The marketing department at United will know the famous No. 7 shirt is currently vacant.
It won’t be for long on this evidence.
The peroxide blonde bombshell has the kind of ability – and resilience – everyone wishes they could bottle.
Extra time seemed imminent until that point after Nayed Aguerd headed into his own net to cancel Said Benraham’s opener.
So close for the Hammers and yet by the final whistle Fred added a further layer of gloss for a United side that seemed to be suffering from a comedown after the celebrations of Sunday’s League Cup victory.
Perhaps that was to be expected after ending a six-year trophy drought, as the visitors had a glorious opportunity to take a 23rd-minute lead.
Four of the players brought into the starting XI by Ten Hag were involved in the sloppy play which should have resulted in Michail Antonio opening the scoring.
Scott McTominay – eventually hooked at half-time and replaced by Casemiro – fizzed a pass into the feet of Garnacho when the youngster wasn’t quite set to receive and was also being closed down in a tight area.
When the ball was robbed off him by Ben Johnson, his pass towards the centre circle for Benrahma exposed both Maguire and Victor Lindelof at the heart of the defence.
Benrahama split the pair with a through ball after the England international tried to step up while his Swedish colleague dropped slightly.
That confusion helped give Antonio the space to gallop towards David de Gea, but he dallied for too long, allowing the United goalkeeper to advance and close the angle with a well-timed save.
West Ham got into some dangerous areas before the half finished but lacked the clinical edge to make their superiority tell.
And when they did make the breakthrough there was an element of controversy to come with the class of Benrahma’s finish.
Tomas Soucek looked to have let the ball run out of play on the left touchline. The surrounding United players all stopped and raised their hands in expectation of the whistle to blow.
Casemiro, surprisingly, was the closest and one of those culpable. Before they knew it they were behind as Benrahma showed Antonio how it was done with an arrowed finish into the top corner.
A VAR check of the Souchek incident gave the goal the green light and it seemed as if West Ham would be advancing so long as United toiled.
But, as is once again customary, a response followed.
At the heart of it was Garnacho, who had Old Trafford united in song and jubilation.