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Manchester United’s Cristiano Ronaldo has reached another landmark in his remarkable career, scoring his 700th club goal against Everton in the Premier League.
The milestone comes 20 years and two days after his first goal for Sporting Lisbon as a scrawny teenager.
The veteran superstar, who has found minutes hard to come by under new United coach Erik ten Hag, was summoned off the bench in the first half at Goodison Park on Sunday for the injured Anthony Martial, and put his team 2-1 in front 14 minutes after coming on.
The 37-year-old Portuguese is now 10 club goals ahead of the world’s greatest, rival Lionel Messi.
It was Ronaldo’s 144th goal for United across two spells at the club, added to five for Sporting, 450 for Real Madrid and 101 for Juventus.
Ronaldo came off the bench in the 29th minute to replace the injured Anthony Martial and scored 15 minutes later, running onto Casemiro’s through ball and driving a low left-footed shot under England goalkeeper Jordan Pickford.
Meanwhile, over at Arsenal, it must be getting harder for manager Mikel Arteta to deny his team is a genuine title challenger this season.
Despite recording another statement win – 3-2 over Liverpool on Sunday – Arteta was sticking to the script.
“They are really strong, they have shown that for five years,” Arteta said, of defending champion Manchester City, the winner in four of the last five seasons. “We haven’t done any of that.”
Well, if anyone is going to stop City, it looks like it will be Arsenal.
Pegged back twice by Liverpool at Emirates Stadium, Arsenal showed lots of character to recover again as Bukayo Saka converted a penalty in the 76th minute to seal an eighth win in nine league games this season.
“We are top of the league” was the chant in the stadium, with Arsenal going back above City by a point.
Liverpool have dropped 14 points behind Arsenal not even a quarter of the way through the season.
Worse for manager Jürgen Klopp, Luis Diaz left the stadium on crutches with his left knee in a brace and Trent Alexander-Arnold was substituted at halftime with a twisted ankle.
“That is the icing on the cake,” said Klopp, whose team has won just two of its eight games in the league and has City up next.
But there are more worries on the injury front. Winger Diaz hurt his left knee and left Emirates Stadium on crutches and wearing a brace. He went down in pain after a challenge from Arsenal midfielder Thomas Partey in the first half and the Colombia international was taken off in the 42nd minute.
Right back Alexander-Arnold also left the match with an injury at halftime after Arsenal forward Gabriel Martinelli caught the England international on the ankle as he followed through after a cross.
Klopp said both players were “not good.”
“He will have a scan and then we will know more,” Klopp said of Diaz. “I have no idea about the extent and then on top of that Trent is bad as well with the ankle.
“Trent never, in seven years, went off if he could have played on. He was in too much pain, it started swelling immediately, so we will have to see.”
Liverpool twice came from behind, having first conceded to Gabriel Martinelli after 58 seconds. Darwin Núñez scored the first equaliser and Roberto Firmino – the replacement for Diaz – canceled out Saka’s first goal.
United had to come from behind to win after Alex Iwobi put Everton ahead with a curling shot from outside the area in the fifth minute. Antony equalised in the 15th.
Gianluca Scamacca is adjusting nicely to life as West Ham’s new striker, with a goal in each of his three games over the past week, his latest a brilliant but contentious one in a 3-1 win over Fulham.
The Italy striker produced an audacious chip over Fulham goalkeeper Bernd Leno to make it 2-1, after bringing the ball down just inside the area almost in slow motion.
Scamacca barely celebrated but the goal survived an initial VAR check for offside and then a second, lengthy review of the ball appearing to brush the striker’s fingers after he controlled it.
Fulham led through Andreas Pereira’s first goal for the club but he gave away the penalty that Jarrod Bowen tucked away for the equaliser. Michail Antonio scored West Ham’s third in stoppage time.
Crystal Palace rallied to earn a 2-1 win over Leeds, with Odsonne Édouard and Eberechi Eze scoring the goals in their team’s second victory of the season.
© AAP
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