MANCHESTER, England (AP) — Alejandro Garnacho hurt Everton again, even if it was in a far less spectacular way.
Three-and-a-half months after that outrageous overhead kick at Goodison Park, the gifted Manchester United teenager with magic in his feet won two penalties to inspire his team to a 2-0 victory over Everton at Old Trafford.
Before Saturday, no United player had ever earned a pair of spot kicks in the same Premier League game.
Garnacho changed that, firstly flicking the ball to the side of James Tarkowski and falling under the defender’s tackle before Bruno Fernandes converted the penalty in the 12th minute. Then Garnacho’s surging drive into the area ended with him upended by Ben Godfrey, with Marcus Rashford taking the penalty duties from Fernandes and finding the corner with his attempt in the 36th.
It’s this directness and trickery that has helped the Argentine winger establish himself as a regular in one of the top teams in England at the age of 19. United will need him to keep it up if Erik ten Hag’s side is to squeeze into the Champions League qualification places by the end of the season.
United stayed in sixth place but at least trimmed the gap to fourth-place Aston Villa to eight points and fifth-place Tottenham to three points. There’s a chance five Premier League teams — rather than four — will enter the Champions League for next season, though that depends on the overall performance of English clubs in European competitions in the remainder of this campaign.
Villa and Spurs meet on Sunday, so United is certain to make some inroads this weekend.
BLADES NOT SO BLUNT
Sheffield United has been spoken about as potentially the worst team to ever play in the Premier League after conceding at least five goals in each of its last three home games on its likely return to the Championship.
On the road, however, the Blades aren’t so blunt.
A 2-2 draw at Bournemouth salvaged some pride after their 6-0 thrashing by Arsenal on Monday but wins are needed for survival. Sheffield United are still 10 points from safety.
That result came after a 3-1 victory at Luton a month ago and a battling 1-0 loss at Wolverhampton two weeks ago. It’s at home where the problems lie for Chris Wilder’s team.
Bournemouth battled from 2-0 down to claim a point, with the equalizer coming from Enes Unal in the first minute of stoppage time.
REFEREEING FIRST
Sunny Singh Gill became the first referee of Indian descent to take charge of a Premier League game in Crystal Palace’s 1-1 home draw with Luton.
The 39-year-old Singh Gill was seen signing autographs at Selhurst Park at the request of fans to mark the occasion
Singh Gill is following the lead set by his father, Jarnail Singh Gill, who remains the only English league football referee to have worn a turban.
Jean-Philippe Mateta put Palace ahead with a deft flicked finish in the 11th minute, only for Luton to equalize in the sixth minute of second-half stoppage time through Cauley Woodrow.
Luton stayed in third-to-last place but is only three points from safety.
Wolverhampton beat Fulham 2-1 in a game between two midtable teams, with Rayan Ait-Nouri’s 53rd-minute opener and an own-goal by Tom Cairney giving the hosts a two-goal cushion. Alex Iwobi replied in stoppage time.
ARSENAL’S CHANCE
Arsenal hosts Brentford in Saturday’s late match and can climb above Liverpool and Manchester City to go top with a win.
Liverpool hosts City on Sunday.
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Steve Douglas is at https://twitter.com/sdouglas80
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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
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