A Cyle Larin brace and a resilient performance saw us come from a goal behind with 10 men to beat Girona 2-1 in our final game of 2024 at Estadi Mallorca Son Moix.
Jagoba Arrasate returned Vedat Muriqi to the starting XI following his suspension while Jose Copete made his return to centre back at the expense of Antonio Raíllo due to his red card last week.
We could not have wished for a worst start as Donny van de Beek put the visitors ahead after just seven minutes with an acrobatic first-time volley following a flicked on cross into the box.
We were level in the 20th minute when a Larin-inspired quick break saw our striker play a smart one-two with Muriqi before firing him into the net inside the box.
There would be further drama in the first half as Muriqi received his marching orders following a VAR review in the 30th minute, reducing us to 10 men for the remaining hour of playing time.
Larin would have the best opportunity for us to take the lead before the break, but our striker could not get his effort on target.
Larin would get his reward for his persistence in the 51st minute when his tireless pressure resulted in a defensive mix up and allowed him to deflect Gazzaniga’s pass into an empty goal.
With the turnaround complete, we had to hold onto our slender advantage as the visitors threw players forward in search of a desperate equaliser.
We managed to reduce Girona to just a handful of hand chances and ensured we took all three points and ended the year at home with a win.