Ronaldo rolls back the years to haunt Arsenal again as Manchester United win 5-goal thriller

Old Trafford hasn’t sparked into life in a very long time, but the whole stadium was buzzing following Manchester United’s win over Arsenal on Thursday evening.

The Red Devils had to come from behind to beat Mikel Arteta’s side and they did it in style ahead of the start of a new era under Ralf Rangnick.

Emile Smith Rowe put Arsenal in front under controversial circumstances, but Manchester United leveled the score thanks to a smart finish from Bruno Fernandes before half-time.

Michael Carrick’s side started the second half on the ascendency and took the lead for the first time after Marcus Rashford set up Cristiano Ronaldo to score.

However, the lead was short-lived, with Martin Odegaard restoring parity for Arsenal just two minutes later.

Ronaldo, though, had the last laugh when he expertly converted from the penalty spot to give his side a 3-2 lead after Fred was fouled in the box by Odegaard.

Ronaldo haunts Arsenal again

Ronaldo was visibly annoyed when he was left on the bench for last week’s big game against Chelsea but was handed a start against Arsenal on Thursday.

The Portuguese not only took his chance, but he also rolled back the years by putting up a scintillating performance in attack.

The 36-year-old used to haunt Arsenal before he swapped United for Real Madrid in 2009 and, just like old times, he once again caused the Gunners all sorts of trouble.

The central defensive partnership of Gabriel and Ben White couldn’t deal with his positioning throughout the game. Ronaldo also put to bed reports that he could not press by running at the Arsenal defense and it was only fair that he scored the winning goal.

He may have been away for a very long time but Arsenal are still one of his favorite opponents and he didn’t spare Mikel Arteta’s side.

Ronaldo surpasses 800 goals

It’s almost as if Ronaldo is synonymous with the term "goal machine." The former Juventus star scores goals for fun and his age doesn’t even seem to be a hindrance.

Ronaldo’s first goal against Arsenal saw him stake his official goal tally to 800, while his second of the night was his 801st goal.

These are insane numbers that may never be repeated by any footballer and it’s only a matter of time before he hits another milestone.

"Very happy to become the first football player to score more than 800 official goals," Ronaldo wrote on Twitter after the game.

"What an amazing and unforgettable run this is becoming… Thank you to all my supporters for always standing by my side. 801 and still counting!"

Forget the fact that Ronaldo finished sixth in the 2021 Ballon d’Or rankings; he is still one of the best and will retire as the greatest scorer in football history.