Ronaldo scores 700th goal to secure win for Manchester United

Cristiano Ronaldo capped up a man of the match performance with his 700th club goal that secured a 2-1 win for the Red Devils at Goodison Park.

Ronaldo who replaced Anthony Martial in the 29th minute a reached the milestone as Manchester United came from behind to end Everton’s two-game winning run.

Too cold with it 😎

🔴 @Cristiano#MUFC || #EVEMUN

— Manchester United (@ManUtd) October 9, 2022

This is coming at a time that has been a frustrating season for the former world footballer of the year. The Portuguese captain has been reduced to the role of substitute after failing to get his hoped-for summer move away from Old Trafford.

He was introduced as a first-half substitute after Anthony Martial suffered another injury just three games into his comeback from the last one. The former Real Madrid striker raced on to Casemiro’s through ball and beat Jordan Pickford with a low drive to the England man’s near-post to score his first goal on this ground since 2005.

United had kept Everton at arm’s length after Alex Iwobi capitalised on Casemiro’s early mistake to put the hosts in front.

READ ALSO: Why Arsenal can’t be considered Premier League contender

Antony levelled matters from a Martial’s through ball to become the first United player to score in his first three Premier League games.

Marcus Rashford not had a goal disallowed for handball eight minutes from time. That would have made it a comfortable evening for the visitors.

Al thanks to an acrobatic clearance from David de Gea to deny Amadou Onana and preserve their victory.

Manchester United returning to top four?

The win has taken Manchester United to fifth on the log and a point away from the top four.

After securing wins against Liverpool and Arsenal, the Old Trafford side seems to have turned a corner.

But there is still crack in Ten Haag’s team. Thus, they can be called work-in-progress.

For team that had the likes of Raphael Varane, Sancho and Ronaldo of the bench, it shows that it has some depth and can score.

Although they were roundly defeated by City last week, this is United team that can achieve a top six finish if all things go right they maintain a high level of consistency.

This now lies in the hands of the one who will take the praise and blame should results go anyway; Haag. The former Ajax coach has showed his tactical prowess but he will need to do more. His scorecard will be read to him at the end of the season should he manage to lead them to a reasonable position on the log by that time.

The job comes with its own pressure. It is believed that he has prepared for this. By January, the club is expected to know the direction it is going.