United fans were treated to an emotional spectacle yesterday when their all time footballing hero dawned once again in the iconic red no.7 jersey. A second debut for Portuguese forward Cristiano Ronaldo who had parted ways with the club 12 years ago. Manchester United were at home against Newcastle and skillfully won 4-1 in a game that saw Ronaldo bag the first 2 goals of his new journey at United.
Asked how Ronaldo had changed as a player since Ole played alongside him, the manager said: “He's developed into a miles better footballer than when he was here through the years. Sometimes he can drift up to the sides, then turn and finish from there. You're not going to use him as a battering ram are you! He likes to roam. The big thing about him is he senses the big moments and he knows when to arrive in the box and when to run in behind."
United also got goals from Bruno Fernandes after he scored an absolute screamer from the 18 yard line and yet another goal from loan returning Jesse Lingard right in the dying seconds of the match taking United to first place in the league with 10 points. Chelsea on the other hand also solidified their position in 2nd place after thrashing Aston Villa 3-0.
Forward Romelu Lukaku was also making his return home after first joining Chelsea as a mere teenager. The now 28 year old grabbed a brace in the encounter, with Mateo Kovacic also getting on the score sheet. In the 15th minute, the resurgent Lukaku opened the scoring with a delightful finish. It was all about Metteo Kovacic, though, who split the Aston Villa defence with a devastating through ball from the halfway line. Lukaku's run gave him plenty of space and he cut back onto his right foot and punished Villa with ease. 1-0 Chelsea.
The Blues extended their lead with barely four minutes into the second half after Mateo Kovacic took advantage of Mings' slack pass back. The Croatian finished off coolly to send the entire Stamford Bridge into haywire as Chelsea lead 2-0. In stoppage-time, Romelu Lukaku powered a left-footed strike into the top corner to make it 3-0 at full-time.