Ronaldo marks United return with flying start; Arsenal tastes first win

September 11, 2021 10:33 pm | Updated September 12, 2021 02:13 am IST - Manchester

Manchester United's Cristiano Ronaldo looks on after scoring his side's second goal during the English Premier League soccer match between Manchester United and Newcastle United at Old Trafford stadium in Manchester, England, Saturday, Sept. 11, 2021.

Manchester United's Cristiano Ronaldo looks on after scoring his side's second goal during the English Premier League soccer match between Manchester United and Newcastle United at Old Trafford stadium in Manchester, England, Saturday, Sept. 11, 2021.

Cristiano Ronaldo scored twice on his return to Manchester United after 12 years in a 4-1 victory over Newcastle in the English Premier League on Saturday.

There was a tap-in from Ronaldo in the first half and a low strike after the break to restore the lead after Javier Manquillo equalised.

Ronaldo’s compatriot, Bruno Fernandes, scored the third and Jesse Lingard completed United's third win in four league games in stoppage time.

The 36-year-old Portugal forward secured an unexpected return to United when he was sold by Juventus last month.

Tottenham became the final team to lose its perfect record, falling 3-0 at Crystal Palace after new signing Odsonne Edouard scored twice to add to a penalty by Wilfried Zaha on Saturday.

Spurs won their opening three games of the season under new manager Nuno Espirito Santo — all by a 1-0 score — but were without a slew of first-choice players at Selhurst Park and were outplayed.

Aubameyang scores

Arsenal eased the pressure on under-fire manager Mikel Arteta and earned the team its first win of the season after Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang sank Norwich 1-0.

The Gunners captain’s 66th-minute winner released the tension that had been bubbling up inside the Emirates Stadium and lifted his team off the foot of the table.

Arteta, who had reportedly been given four games to save his job after Arsenal's worst start to a league campaign for 67 years, said the international break was among the most instructive periods of his career.

Erling Haaland scored twice as Borussia Dortmund came from behind three times to beat Bayer Leverkusen 4-3 in a thrilling Bundesliga game on Saturday.

The results: Premier League: Arsenal 1 (Aubameyang 66) bt Norwich 0; Brentford 0 lost to Brighton 1 (Trossard 90); Crystal Palace 3 (Zaha 76-pen, Edouard 84, 90) bt Tottenham 0; Leicester 0 lost to Manchester City 1 (Silva 62); Manchester United 4 (Ronaldo 45+2, 62, Fernandes 80, Lingard 90+2) bt Newcastle 1 (Manquillo 56); Southampton 0 drew with West Ham 0; Watford 0 lost to Wolves 2 (Sierralta 74-og, Hwang 83).

Chelsea 3 (Lukaku 15, 90+3, Kovacic 49) bt Aston Villa 0.

Serie A: Empoli 1 (Bajrami 89-pen) lost to Venezia 2 (Henry 13, Okereke 68).

Bundesliga: Bayer Leverkusen 3 (Wirtz 9, Schick 45+1, Diaby 55) lost to Borussia Dortmund 4 (Haaland 37, 77-pen, Brandt 49, Guerreiro 71); Freiburg 1 (Czichos 89-og) drew with Cologne 1 (Modeste 34); Hoffenheim 0 lost to Mainz 2 (Burkardt 21, Ingvartsen 77).

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