Alejando Garnacho scores first Chelsea goal and pulls out trademark Man Utd celebration

Garnacho featured in the Chelsea starting lineup for the third game in a row in the Premier League as he continued to adjust to the new conditions at Stamford Bridge. In the fourth minute of the match, Enzo Fernandez won the ball in his own half and fed Pedro Neto with a quick pass. Neto then sent a through ball towards Garnacho from the centre circle as the Argentine winger made a run from the left flank. 

The youngster received the ball and made a run straight into the Sunderland box, before dodging past an opponent defender and finding the back of the net with a quality strike from a narrow angle. After scoring the goal, Garnacho, along with Neto, sat on the billboards to celebrate. He had earlier performed such a celebration in 2024, while at United, where Kobbie Mainoo and Rasmus Hojlund joined him on the advertising board. 

Before approaching the sideline and sitting on the advertising board, Garnacho had pointed towards the ground to celebrate his maiden Chelsea goal. Football fans have seen such a celebration performed by legendary Portuguese forward Cristiano Ronaldo on numerous occasions in the past. Garnacho has been a lifelong fan of Ronaldo and he has often gone public to show his admiration of the Al-Nassr star. He even shared a dressing room with Ronaldo briefly in the 2022-23 campaign at Old Trafford. 

After being put in Ruben Amorim's 'bomb squad' in the summer, Garnacho was determined to exit Old Trafford for a new experience elsewhere. He had a fallout with coach Amorim last season, which eventually cleared his way out of the club. The Blues signed him for £40m ($54m) from the Red Devils in the summer, but until Saturday, Garnacho had failed to live up to the expectations.

Following his departure from Manchester, Garnacho recently opened up about his journey with United, as he told TNT Sports: "I’ve got nothing bad to say about my old club Manchester United, just bad moments in life. I’m very happy to be here now, play in this competition and get three points today.

Garnacho did hand Chelsea an early lead but they blew off the advantage within 18 minutes as Wilson Isidor restored parity in the match. Maresca will now have to rethink his tactics and take a more attacking approach in the second half to walk away with crucial three points. 

After the Sunderland clash at home, the Blues are scheduled to take on Wolves in a Carabao Cup encounter on Wednesday before meeting Tottenham Hotspur in a key Premier League fixture on November 1.