Everton 1-2 Manchester United: Ronaldo’s 700th club goal seals Red Devils turnaround

Cristiano Ronaldo’s 700th goal in club football helped Manchester United come from behind to beat Everton 2-1 in the Premier League on Sunday.

Ronaldo, introduced as a first-half substitute following an injury to Anthony Martial, found the net with a low, left-footed strike at the end of a back-and-forth opening period at Goodison Park.

Alex Iwobi had earlier taken advantage of Casemiro’s error to put Everton ahead with a long-range strike, with Antony levelling to maintain his fine start to life in England. 

Erik ten Hag’s men produced a controlled display following Ronaldo’s intervention, keeping Everton at arm’s length to go fifth in the Premier League table, one point adrift of the top four.

Casemiro’s first Premier League start turned sour when he was caught in possession by Amadou Onana five minutes in, allowing Iwobi to curl a brilliant effort beyond David De Gea and into the top-right corner.

Everton’s lead lasted just 10 minutes, however, as Antony darted onto Martial’s well-timed pass to tuck a neat finish into the bottom-left corner.

An injury to Martial led to Ronaldo’s introduction shortly before Casemiro squandered a golden opportunity, heading wide when racing onto Bruno Fernandes’ in-swinging cross.

Casemiro did register an assist on the stroke of half-time, but the plaudits will go to Ronaldo after he coolly fired between Jordan Pickford’s legs to bring up his landmark.

Marcus Rashford was denied a late third goal following a VAR review when he appeared to handle the ball before rounding Pickford, before De Gea kept Joe Garner’s effort out with a stunning fingertip save to secure the win.

What does it mean? United bounce back from derby blues

A run of four consecutive Premier League wins appeared to have given lift-off to the Ten Hag era at United ahead of last week’s trip to Manchester City. However, the Red Devils were a distant second-best in an emphatic 6-3 defeat at the Etihad Stadium, and they looked to be experiencing a derby hangover when Iwobi struck.

However, United showed the necessary composure to respond to that setback, earning just their third win in their last 11 away Premier League games and ending the Toffees’ six-match unbeaten run.

Another landmark for indomitable Ronaldo

Ronaldo’s struggles this season have been well-documented; following his failure to secure a move away from Old Trafford, the five-time Ballon d’Or winner entered Sunday’s match having scored one goal in all competitions this campaign – a Europa League penalty against Sheriff.

However, he led the line effectively following his early introduction on Merseyside, scoring the 700th goal of his club career 20 years and two days after the first, in what was his 945th club appearance.

Ronaldo will now hope to kick on after opening his Premier League account for the season – on a ground at which he had never previously scored in the competition (in seven appearances).

Antony makes United history

Although Ronaldo stole the headlines with his strike, Brazilian winger Antony continued his strong start to life in the Premier League on Sunday, cutting inside to bend home a crucial leveller.

The former Ajax man’s goal makes him the first player to score in each of his first three Premier League appearances for United in the competition’s history.

What’s next?

United host Cypriot outfit Omonia Nicosia in the Europa League on Thursday, while Everton travel to Tottenham for their next Premier League match on Saturday.