The international break is finally over and club football has resumed to the delight of supporters worldwide. There was an added incentive for today’s encounter with Newcastle to arrive quicker, however.
Cristiano Ronaldo sealed a sensational return to Manchester United on deadline day last week and since the transfer was announced, he has dominated headlines and conversations.
The 36-year-old started the game alongside his international teammate Bruno Fernandes and if there were any doubts over whether they could play together, they have all been put to bed.
Newcastle were resilient in the first half and often frustrated Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side with their low block. United huffed and puffed but struggled to find a way through until Mason Greenwood’s speculative effort resulted in a rebound.
And of course, Ronaldo was there to tap home for his first goal in over 12 years for the club. You could feel it was coming despite no big chances being created prior to the goal.
As the two sides made it back onto the pitch after the interval, clearly, United needed to up the tempo and stretch Newcastle far more and so they did.
Newcastle were briefly offered an avenue into the game when they equalised through Javier Manquillo but it would prove to be merely a blemish on a near-perfect afternoon.
Ronaldo restored United’s lead just minutes after to score his second goal and Fernandes’ 25-yard screamer made sure the Red Devils left with all three points.
Jesse Lingard, who replaced Jadon Sancho after roughly an hour, added United’s fourth in the final exchanges to score his first goal of the season. If anyone thought he was surplus to requirements, they are badly mistaken.
Next up for Solskjaer and his side is a trip to Switzerland to face Young Boys in the Champions League. Victory would see United build on a promising start to the season.
Watch highlights below:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ZBnN5Rsyvkg
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