London: Cristiano Ronaldo scored his third goal Sunday in his fourth appearance for Manchester United this season as the Red Devils rode on a last minute goal by substitute Jesse Lingard to defeat West Ham 2-1 in their Premier League encounter Sunday. It was a good three points to win for Manchester United on the back of their embarrassing loss in the Champions League earlier this week.
Lingard who has had nothing much to show for in the present season came good after coming off the bench with 20-odd minutes to go. It was a brilliant individual effort with the player cutting in from the left and hitting the target with right-footed shot.
The result also meant that West Ham lost their unbeaten tag this season as they suffered their first defeat. However, the match went down to the wire due to the efforts of their goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski. Twice in the closing stages of the first half, Fabianski thwarted Ronaldo who looked set to score. First he came out of his charge to foil Ronaldo in a one-on-one situation, and then he tipped over a pile-driver by the Portuguese striker flying to his left. Had any of those shots gone in, the match would have been over in the first half itself.
Hammers had taken the lead much against the run of play when Said Benrahma scored. However, luck played a part in the goal. Benrahma’s shot took a wicked deflection off Paul Pogba, leaving Man U custodian David de Gea looking on helplessly as the ball flew into the net.
However, the lead was short-lived as Ronaldo brought things back on an even keel. He received a ball from Mason Greenwood and took a prompt shot which parried away by Fabianski. However, the opportunistic player that he is , Ronaldo followed in and volleyed the ball home.
