Who would have thought that the final Premier League match before the Qatar World Cup would be an absolute cracker? 

Contrary to popular belief, both Manchester United and Fulham players showed no signs of taking their foot off the gas pedal despite an unprecedented risk of injury ahead of a major tournament, as the high-octane showdown between the two resilient sides ended with a dramatic last-minute winner scored by teenage sensation Alejandro Garnacho. 

The 18-year-old United talent, who displayed a maturity and composure that belies his tender age after coming on as a substitute, played a smart one-two with Christian Eriksen in practically the last kick of the match before calmly guiding his effort into the bottom-right corner to hand the Red Devils all three points.

Garnacho has now become the youngest ever player to score a 90th-minute winner in the Premier League in 13 years. And the crucial victory against Fulham leaves United only three points behind fourth-placed Tottenham with a game in hand.  

The result was extremely harsh on Fulham, who were without top goalscorer Aleksandar Mitrovic and looked to have earned a draw after a battling performance. But Garnacho cannot be stopped. The Argentinian wunderkind, who provided two brilliant assists in United's 4-2 League Cup win over Aston Villa on Thursday, proved the difference once again. 

"It's not the first time he makes a big impact for us," beamed United captain Bruno Fernandes after the game. "We're really happy for him and know he can give us goals, assists and prove the joy of football. 

"Nobody likes to be on the bench so the attitude he has when he comes on has been fantastic. He deserves the chances he's been having and he's got his rewards. That's what football's about."

Garnacho was born in 2004 and moved to United's youth system in 2020. He signed his first professional contract with the English giants in the summer of 2021 and made his debut against Chelsea in April. 

Last week, Garnacho became the youngest United player in history to record two assists in one competitive match. That followed on from his amazing goal in the club's 1-0 win over Real Sociedad in their final group stage game in the Europa League. 

While Garnacho's meteoric rise to stardom is nothing short of spectacular, United manager Erik ten Hag warned against getting carried away, adding it could be a potentially "dangerous" period for Garnacho as the next domestic game will not start until December 26.

"He has had such an impact and it shows the talent, but he still has a long way to go and he has to keep his feet on the ground," said the Dutch tactician. 

"He now has momentum and if his attitude is good he will keep going. The danger is it's four weeks, no games and [potentially] losing focus... If he stays with the same attitude his progress will keep going, if not it will be the other way around." 

Ten Hag also revealed his shock at Garnacho's recent breakthrough.  

"It would be weird if I said I could [expect this] before," he observed. "We saw his improvement and in the last few months we could see his potential and it was time to bring him in. He had such an impact, we couldn't have thought that would happen."

As Garnacho stole the limelight, the absence of their talisman Cristiano Ronaldo, who was again not involved due to illness, is of increasingly little concern to United. 

The Portuguese superstar struggled for form under Ten Hag this season and will try to engineer an exit again in the upcoming winter transfer window after an explosive interview with British journalist Piers Morgan was released late Sunday.

Ronaldo claimed he has been "betrayed" by United and believes the club are trying to force him out. "I don't have respect for him [Ten Hag] because he doesn't show respect for me. If you don't have respect for me, I'm never gonna have respect for you," fumed the five-time Ballon d'Or winner. 

When asked if Ten Hag and United were trying to force him out, the 37-year-old Ronaldo replied, "Yes, not only the coach but the other two or three guys – they're around the club... 

"I felt betrayed and I felt like some people don't want me here, not only this year, but last year too."