The Press and Journal (Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire)
Ronaldo reaches 800 career goals as brace shoots down Gunners
Cristiano Ronaldo reached 800 career goals as his brace secured Manchester United a much-needed victory against Arsenal as interim manager Ralf Rangnick saw his new side triumph from the stands.
A lot has changed at Old Trafford since their last home game 26 days ago, with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer losing his job after that loss to Manchester City was compounded by a shocking defeat at Watford.
United coach Michael Carrick has steadied the ship during an unbeaten three-match caretaker stint that ended with an entertaining 3-2 victory against Arsenal at a bouncing Old Trafford.
It was only their second win in nine Premier League games and a timely shot in the arm ahead of Rangnick’s first game in charge against Crystal Palace this Sunday.
The German has signed a deal until the end of the season and yesterday’s match will have given him food for thought, having seen the quality and ongoing concerns at first hand from the directors’ box.
Finding a way to keep clean sheets will be key if this season is to be a success for United, although there was little that could be done to prevent Emile Smith Rowe’s bizarre opener.
David De Gea was rolling around in pain when the Arsenal youngster struck, with the VAR instructing referee Martin Atkinson to award the goal as it was the Spaniard’s team-mate Fred who hurt the goalkeeper.
Bruno Fernandes, making his 100th United appearance, levelled before half-time, with Ronaldo turning home Marcus Rashford’s cross to bring up 800 goals for club and country early in the second half. But Arsenal took just two minutes to bring this helter-skelter clash back level as Martin Odegaard found the net with a low finish – good work undone 16 minutes later by his rash challenge on Fred inside the box.
Atkinson awarded the penalty after the VAR advised he watch the pitchside monitor, with Ronaldo keeping his cool in front of the Stretford End to lash home what proved to be the winner.
Meanwhile, Tottenham put themselves back in the race for the top four with a 2-0 win over Brentford which extends their unbeaten Premier League record under Antonio Conte. A first-half own goal by Sergi Canos and Son Heung-min’s second-half strike earned the victory which moved them into the top six, just two points behind West Ham with a game in hand.
Conte said that the Spurs job was his biggest challenge, but with two wins and a draw from his three games in charge, things are beginning to look up.
Keeping a clean sheet and playing with a clear structure, it was a good night for Spurs, blotted only by Harry Kane’s failure to register again.
The England captain has scored just one goal in 12
Premier League games this term and again spurned a chance he would have been expected to net.
Brentford, who had taken points off Liverpool and Arsenal this season, were never really in the game and have lost five of their last seven league games.
After Sunday’s trip to Burnley was called off an hour before kick-off due to heavy snow in Lancashire, Spurs had been stewing on the embarrassing Europa Conference League loss to Slovenian minnows NS Mura for a week.
But they bounced back last night to register a much-needed win.