Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo led his team Manchester United back to winning ways as he guided them to a 2-0 victory over a depleted Brighton on Tuesday in a postponed match from the 18th round of the English Premier League. "CR7" opened the scoring in the 51st minute, before his compatriot Bruno Fernandes added the second goal in the seventh minute of stoppage time in the second half. This was the first goal for the five-time Ballon d'Or winner in 2022 and his first after a drought of 588 minutes, specifically since December 30 of last year.
The "Red Devils," who achieved their first win after three consecutive draws across competitions, now have 43 points from 25 matches and regained fourth place, qualifying them for the Champions League, two points ahead of West Ham.
United had failed to maintain their lead in the first half in their last three matches, but they broke that trend against Brighton, despite struggling in the first half, which drew boos from the "Old Trafford" crowd. They improved in the second half and scored.
Ronaldo opened the scoring after a pass from Scottish midfielder Scott McTominay; he evaded a defender and shot (51). Three minutes later, Brighton's defender Lewis Dunk was sent off with a red card after a review with the Video Assistant Referee (VAR).
Despite the "Red Devils" missing several chances and the crossbar denying Polish midfielder Jakub Moder's header (77), Fernandes secured the points with a goal in the 90+7 minute.
