LONDON, (The Southern African Times) – Cristiano Ronaldo scored twice against Newcastle United on his return to Manchester United on Saturday as the Red Devils ran out 4-1 winners.
The Portuguese was named in the starting line up by manager Ole Gunnar Solskjær two weeks after he agreed to a return to his former club from Juventus.
His first goal came on the stroke of half-time, sparking an uproar from Manchester United fans whose excitement has remained on a high since the announcement of the reunion.
Mason Greenwood, who had scored in all previous three games for his side, sent a low shot which Freddie Woodman couldn’t hold on to, and Ronaldo was there to tap the rebound in right next to the helpless keeper.
Newcastle pulled one back through Javier Manquillo in the 56th minute, but the score did not remain so for long as Ronaldo latched onto a pass from Luke Shaw to power a shot past Woodman.
Fellow Portuguese star Bruno Fernandes added a sublime third 10 minutes from time, and there was still enough time for substitute Jesse Lingard to add a fourth for the side.
The win took Manchester United on top of the Premier League standings provisionally, ahead of Chelsea’s clash with Aston Villa later on Saturday, with Liverpool and Everton also yet to play.
