Ronaldo makes magical return to Man Utd, scores brace in Newcastle win

ANKARA

Portuguese football superstar Cristiano Ronaldo made a fiery return to Manchester United on Saturday, scoring two goals against Newcastle United in an English Premier League (EPL) match that the Red Devils won 4-1.

The 36-year-old scored in the first half's injury time at the Old Trafford in Manchester.

He made an easy tap to finish as Newcastle goalkeeper Freddie Woodman failed to hold the ball after Mason Greenwood's deflected shot.

The EPL said on Twitter that Ronaldo scored in a Premier League match after a 12-year break. "12 years and 124 days since we last saw Cristiano Ronaldo score in the #PL, this happens ...," the tweet read.

But Javier Manquillo pulled the level for Newcastle in the 56th minute.

Ronaldo scored once again in the 62nd minute with a left-footed low strike in the box as the ball went between Woodman's legs into the goal.

Manchester United made it 3-1 in the 80th minute as another Portuguese player, Bruno Fernandes, fired outside the area to beat Woodman.

English midfielder Jesse Lingard took the score to 4-1 after a teamwork goal near the end of the match.

Ronaldo was picked the man of the match for his two goals.

Manchester United are leading the Premier League standings with 10 points in four matches.

Their rivals Manchester City beat Leicester City 1-0 in an away match to rank second with nine points.

Portuguese midfielder Bernardo Silva scored the winning goal in the 62nd minute at the King Power Stadium.