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It had to be him. Cristiano Ronaldo leading Manchester United to victory on his return, as many of us expected. The man for the big occasion delivered yet again as he enthralled a raucous Old Trafford crowd.
In the end, the 4-1 scoreline might have looked a bit harsh on Newcastle, who for the most part did try to stick to their guns and compete. But ultimately, it was too much for them as Cristiano Ronaldo fired a brace before Bruno Fernandes added the party piece in the 80th minute.
Cristiano Ronaldo bagged a brace on his Manchester United return
Despite being backed by a vociferous crowd, Manchester United had to wait until first half stoppage time to break the deadlock. Cristiano Ronaldo had already flashed a shot just wide of the target after a trademark step-over earlier, but when the moment arrived he was in the right place.
Mason Greenwood unleashed a shot on goal and Newcastle goalkeeper Freddie Woodman made a hash of it while attempting to gather. Whether or not the visitors' goalkeeper had his vision impaired by the Newcastle bodies in front of him remains unclear, but it was too good a chance for Cristiano Ronaldo to miss.
The Portuguese, who cunningly stayed onside, pounced on the fumble to fire home the opening goal from close range for Manchester United. Old Trafford erupted as you would expect and Cristiano Ronaldo wheeled away in celebration with his Manchester United team-mates.
The plot thickened after the interval though. Miguel Almiron, who was Newcastle's best player on the night, produced a determined run before finding Allan Saint-Maximin. The winger teed up full-back Javier Manquillo, who fired home the equalizer for Newcastle in the 56th minute.
It felt as if Steve Bruce and company were ready to spoil Cristiano Ronaldo's homecoming, but the five-time Ballon d'Or duly got on the act to restore the hosts' lead.
Just six minutes later, Ronaldo was played through by Luke Shaw and he blasted a shot through the legs of Woodman to put Manchester United ahead. Same man, same result, same celebration.
However, the real icing on the cake came in the 80th minute as Fernandes netted an outrageous goal from distance to show the world he will not be overshadowed by his fellow Portuguese.
There was even time for Jesse Lingard, who came off the bench, to add a fourth goal as Manchester United sealed the three points. The Red Devils climbed to the summit of the Premier League table with the win.
