Goal-den boy Garnacho flies into United folklore

Manchester United needed to produce something extraordinary to quieten a home crowd at Goodison Park seething with anger and resentment.

Alejandro Garnacho did just that by scoring one of the greatest goals ever seen in the Premier League.

Leaping high in the air with his back to goal, the 19-year-old Argentina winger produced a spectacular bicycle kick from 15 yards (14 meters) that sent the ball flying into the top corner and — if only briefly — muted tens of thousands of protesting Everton fans.

"A goal like this has to silence the crowd — even this Everton crowd," United captain Bruno Fernandes said.

The outrageous third-minute strike set United on course for a 3-0 win over Everton, but the score will not be the thing people remember from this fiery, volatile occasion on Merseyside.

"The season, still many games to play, but probably already the goal of the season," United manager Erik ten Hag told reporters. "It was incredible."

The Argentinian teen said he couldn't believe he had scored.

"I didn't see how I scored, I just listened to the crowd and said 'Oh my God,'" Garnacho told NBC. "One of the best goals I've scored, I'm very happy."

The strike echoed goals by Wayne Rooney and fellow former United striker Cristiano Ronaldo, particularly Rooney's bicycle-kick stunner during the 2011 Manchester derby.

"I can't believe it," former United captain Gary Neville said on the Sky Sports broadcast. "I don't think I've ever been in a stadium where I've seen an overhead kick as good as that — and I was there on the day that Rooney scored his in the Manchester derby."

Ten Hag, however, was uncomfortable comparing Garnacho so quickly with two of the club's biggest names of recent years.

"Don't compare," said the Dutchman, who served a one-game suspension on Sunday and so was not on the touchline.

"I don't think it's right. They all have their own identity, but for Garnacho to go that way, he has to work very hard. And you have to do it on a consistent basis. And so far, he's not.

"But he has definitely high potential to do some amazing things. It is not the first time we saw this. But if you want to be a player like Rooney or Ronaldo, you have to score 20, 25 goals in the Premier League and that's not easy to get. But potential, he has."

The match was played to a backdrop of protests by Everton supporters furious at what they perceived to be an over-the-top sanction — a record 10-point deduction — for financial mismanagement issued by a disciplinary commission last week.

This was the first game since that punishment and Everton fans marched in their thousands to the stadium, holding up pink cards featuring the word "corrupt" and the logo of the Premier League, and chanting, "We shall not be moved."

On one huge banner read the message: "Where there is power, greed and money ... there is corruption."

The protests continued inside the stadium and it was into this cauldron that United's players walked, ahead of what would be a real test of character for Ten Hag's team.

Garnacho's goal was crucial in dampening the atmosphere somewhat, even if those pink cards stayed aloft for much of the game and there was a huge chant in the 10th minute — marking the 10 points docked — accusing the league of corruption.

"It changed the feel of the early part of the game," Everton manager Sean Dyche said of Garnacho's goal.

Marcus Rashford — from the penalty spot — and Anthony Martial added more goals in the second half for United, which has won five of its last six Premier League games and is six points behind leader Arsenal after 13 games.

Everton, hit by the points deduction, is second-from-bottom, above Burnley only on goal difference. The team is now five points from safety and potentially destined for another season fighting relegation after only preserving its 69-year top-flight status on the final day last term.

"The signs were there today showing how we'll fight for this club," Everton defender James Tarkowski said, "and we'll continue to do that."

Spurs on the slide

Not so long ago, Tottenham Hotspur was top of the league and playing such good soccer under Ange Postecoglou that there was talk of a potential title challenge.

Three straight losses later and injury-hit Spurs' campaign is in danger of unravelling.

A 2-1 defeat at home to Aston Villa on Sunday saw Tottenham squander another 1-0 lead, suffer another injury to a key player and raise concerns about the squad's depth and ability to sustain a bid for Champions League qualification this season.

Ollie Watkins' seventh goal of the season won the game in the 61st minute for Villa, which climbed to fourth place and just two points off leader Arsenal in a bunched-up summit of the standings after 13 games.

Giovani Lo Celso lashed in a deflected shot from the edge of the area for the opening goal for Tottenham in the 22nd, only for Pau Torres to head in an equalizer from a Douglas Luiz freekick.

Rodrigo Bentancur, making his first start for Tottenham after eight months out with an anterior cruciate ligament injury, was forced off midway through the first half after a foul by Matty Cash. He returns to an injury list already containing Micky van de Ven, James Maddison and Richarlison while suspended defender Cristian Romero will still be missing when Tottenham travels to Manchester City this weekend.

The win lifted Villa above Tottenham, which dropped to fifth place having lost its previous matches to Wolves and Chelsea.

Agencies via Xinhua