Cristiano Ronaldo on Saturday needed just one half of football to get back among the goals for Manchester United, with the Portuguese superstar scoring twice on his second debut for the club.

The Portuguese gave the Old Trafford faithful what they had come to see featuring in the match against Newcastle as the hosts ran out 4-1 winners. The superb performance came 12 years after his last goal for Red Devils.

It looked like being a frustrating opening 45 minutes for the five-time Ballon d’Or winner against Newcastle, but Old Trafford erupted in stoppage-time when the deadlock was finally broken.

The vast majority of those in attendance were there to witness the return of a prodigal son, and he did not disappoint when giving the masses what they wanted.

How did Ronaldo’s goal come about?

The 36-year-old, who was handed a started berth by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer , took a while to get his eye back in after 12 years away from a Premier League stage.

A couple of half-chances passed him by early on; with one wild swing with his left foot drawing ironic cheers and a knowing smile from United’s No.7.

He was, however, to show in the closing stages of the first half that he has lost none of his touch in front of goal.

Mason Greenwood drifted inside off the right flank and hit a hopeful shot that took the slightest of deflections.

That was enough to put Newcastle keeper Freddie Woodman off and he could only spill the ball to the feet of Ronaldo, who reacted quickest inside the six-yard box for a tap-in.

Ronaldo hit 84 Premier League goals for United during his first stint with the club.

He had scored his first Premier League goal since May 2009 (v Man City); his gap of 12 years and 124 days between goals is the second-longest between two strikes by any player in the competition’s history, after Matt Jackson (13y 187d, 1993-2006).

Some 12 years later and an all-time great player is back in the groove, with Newcastle unable to contain his very obvious threat.

They did restore parity in the 56th minute through Javier Manquillo, but they were not level for long.

Ronaldo’s second goal

With Solskjaer’s side looking for a hero to step up on a day that a wave of optimism poured down from the stands, Ronaldo was – as is often the case – the man to step up.

He was given another helping hand by Woodman when grabbing his second of the game in the 62nd minute, but he and the rest of his team-mates cared little about that.

Ronaldo was sent racing through on goal by Luke Shaw, with a perfectly weighted pass taking him into the area.

He got his head down and fired goal-wards with his left boot, with the ball slipping between Woodman’s legs and into the back of the net.

Bruno Fernandes curled home a brilliant effort from long range to put the game beyond doubt, before Jesse Lingard netted deep into injury time to make it 4-1 and ensure that Ronaldo’s second ‘debut’ would finish on a high note in front of elated Old Trafford fans.

Goal.com