After the Manchester derby thrashing and subsequent criticism, Erik ten Hag knew how important it was for his team to return to winning ways in the Premier League.
And his side did just that, albeit after some jittery moments as the Red Devils cruised to a 2-1 victory against Everton on Sunday.
Antony equalized after Alex Iwobi gave the Toffees the lead before substitute Cristiano Ronaldo scored what turned out to be the winner.
CR7 wins it for Utd
The goal came after Casemiro lost the ball in midfield. The Brazilian finally made amends and stole from Iwobi before deftly finding Ronaldo with a perfect pass for the first time.
Ronaldo showed his pace and calmly outplayed Jordan Pickford. United’s number 7 celebrated with a sigh of relief having missed numerous chances to reach that milestone in United’s midweek victory.
????️ “One of the best players of all time”.
Frank Lampard and Erik Ten Hag sing the praises of Cristiano Ronaldo when the forward scored 700 goals for the club last night. ???? pic.twitter.com/QSgID8imgI
– 90min (@90min_Football) October 10, 2022
This was the Portuguese’s 700th career goal at the club, a remarkable achievement and a testament to his longevity and skill.
Remarkably, when the Portuguese first arrived on English shores, he had come face to face with current Everton boss and then Chelsea player Frank Lampard.
The duo battled in the Premier League and the 2008 Champions League final, as well as clashes in which their countries were involved.
And the Everton manager was quick to praise the former Real Madrid player’s incredible career and how he was in awe of the numbers amassed by the Portuguese international over the years.
“It’s just exceptional, isn’t it?” Lampard said. “He is one of the best players to have graced the game in an era where we have had him and Messi. No matter the comparison, they are both amazing players in football history.
“To go and look as good physically as you do, to keep scoring goals like you have, the numbers you’ve put up have become normal, abnormal numbers become normal year after year, taking care of yourself the right way. I don’t know him particularly well, but you can’t help but admire those numbers.”
Lampard praises CR7
And he even mentioned how he had wanted his rival to reach the milestone in the middle of the week.
“When I was at 699, I wanted him to score in the Europa League the other night because you could feel he could come on the weekend and then he goes in, because Martial has a problem. Sometimes those things happen in football.
“But in the cold light of day, I’ll give him a lot of credit for that, it’s unbelievable,” Lampard said during the post-match press conference.
This was Ronaldo’s sixth goal against Everton. His first confrontation against the opposition came when he was 20 years old, back in February 2005.
With his 700th goal well under wraps, Ten Hag hopes Ronaldo can continue to score goals in the coming weeks, especially after Anthony Martial was injured.
