Alejandro Garnacho scored a superb stoppage time goal versus West Ham on Wednesday night as Manchester United booked their place in the FA Cup quarter-finals. Former player and coach, Paul McGuinness, has compared the goal to one of the best finishes seen from a Manchester United player.
Manchester United welcomed West Ham to Old Trafford midweek. The away side took the lead in the 54th minute through Said Benrahma.
Three goals from United in the final 13 minutes turned things around in our favour.
The game was headed for extra time as we approached the 90th whistle after Nayef Aguerd headed the ball into his own net.
But Garancho provided the magic with a brilliant finish in stoppage-time.
As you can see from the video below, the ball fell to the 18-year-old before he curled the ball into the corner of the net.
Garnacho goal compared to Whiteside classic
Paul McGuinness took to Twitter after Garnacho’s goal and compared it to Norman Whiteside’s cup final winner against Everton.
Garnacho’s FA Cup goal v West Ham reminds me a bit of Norman Whiteside’s Cup Final winner v Everton – a finish that uses the defender as a ‘screen’ to hide your body language cues behind so that the Gk reacts milliseconds too late (Norman’s was better!) https://t.co/kuAqpHRVOL pic.twitter.com/hLYrbj1xDE
— Paul McGuinness (@Paulmcg8) March 1, 2023
While he adds that Whiteside’s goal was better, let’s not take nothing away from Garnacho, who looks the real deal at such a young age (like Big Norm, eh?).
Norman Whiteside was a hero for so many United fans in the ‘80s. He was a colossus: powerfully built and he took no rubbish on the pitch. An intelligent, skilful and graceful player who scored one of the biggest goals in United’s history.
Of course, Whiteside has only turned 20-years-old and 11 days before the final. He was already considered to be experienced like a veteran.
Whiteside’s greatest moment came in the 1985 FA Cup final. With 10 minutes remaining in extra time, Mark Hughes put him through on the right side of midfield. The Northern Ireland man entered the penalty area, performed a step over to buy time before curling his shot around Pat Van Den Haute and beyond Neville Southall to win the FA Cup.
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