Cristiano Ronaldo’s barren run comes to an end as Manchester United returns to the top four of the Premier League.

Cristiano Ronaldo snapped his six-game goal drought on Tuesday, as Manchester United came back from a sluggish first half to beat 10-man Brighton 2-0 and reclaim fourth place in the Premier League. The game took a dramatic turn in the second half, with Ronaldo scoring his first goal of 2022 before Lewis Dunk was sent off three minutes later. However, the home side made light work of the scenario, squandering a couple of wonderful chances to increase their advantage before Bruno Fernandes sealed the points deep into stoppage time. Ralf Rangnick’s squad had wasted half-time leads to draw 1-1 in their last three matches across all competitions, squandering critical league points and leaving the FA Cup on penalties.

United’s interim manager had stated in pre-match interviews that he wanted his players to be more like Dr Jekyll and less like his fictional wicked alter ego Mr Hyde.

Rangnick lauded Ronaldo, 37, for returning to the scoresheet for the first time since December 30. In the 51st minute, Scott McTominay found Ronaldo, who surged forward, cutting past Adam Webster and blasting past goalkeeper Robert Sanchez from the edge of the box. The three points move United into fourth place in the Champions League qualifying table, two points ahead of West Ham and four points behind third-placed Chelsea, who have a game in hand.