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Cristiano Ronaldo made a dream Manchester United return with two goals in an emphatic 4-1 victory at Old Trafford

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Sat 11 Sep 2021 12.59 EDTFirst published on Sat 11 Sep 2021 08.15 EDT
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Cristiano Ronaldo celebrates scoring the opening goal of the game.
Cristiano Ronaldo celebrates scoring the opening goal of the game. Photograph: Matt West/Shutterstock
Cristiano Ronaldo celebrates scoring the opening goal of the game. Photograph: Matt West/Shutterstock

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The post-match thoughts of Ole Gunnar Solskjær: “When you win a game, you enjoy it. Loads of expectations today for the team, for Cristiano, and they delivered. He’s developed into a fantastic goal scorer, knowing where to be ... he drops in, links the play well, and gets into the box when he has to. [He and Bruno] have a great respect for each other, and we’ll develop that relationship here.”

Here’s West Ham manager David Moyes: “It was a hard-fought point ... we played well but didn’t quite have the connection in the forward areas. Southampton defended very well.” On Antonio’s red card, he says the striker “shouldn’t have dived in ... he’s on a yellow card, and he’s given the referee a decision to make. I haven’t seen it again, but it’s probably the correct decision.”

Here’s how things stand in Scotland. Hibs and Hearts meet in Sunday’s derby, where the prize for the winner is top spot in the table.

Pos Team P GD Pts
1 Rangers 5 6 12
2 Hibernian 4 6 10
3 Hearts 4 4 10
4 Motherwell 5 3 10
5 Celtic 5 13 9
6 Aberdeen 5 1 8
7 Dundee Utd 5 -2 7
8 St Johnstone 5 -2 3
9 Dundee 5 -7 3
10 St Mirren 5 -7 3
11 Ross County 5 -8 2
12 Livingston 5 -7 1

Mikel Arteta on Arsenal’s win: “We were playing not only the game, but with emotions, and the games we’ve lost. It was a deserved win, we should maybe have scored more. We started really well, but lost our rhythm and started giving the ball away. We did better in the second half. Six new signings played today, they did really well, they showed courage and personality.”

In League Two, Forest Green climb to the top while Leyton Orient are third after thrashing Oldham, who look in big trouble at the foot of the table.

Pos Team P GD Pts
1 Forest Green 7 6 16
2 Harrogate Town 6 6 14
3 Leyton Orient 7 7 12
4 Hartlepool 6 3 12
5 Rochdale 7 2 11
6 Bradford 7 2 11
7 Swindon 7 2 11
8 Exeter 7 4 10
9 Northampton 6 1 10
10 Colchester 6 1 9
11 Port Vale 7 1 9
12 Carlisle 7 0 9
13 Barrow 7 1 8
14 Salford City 7 1 8
15 Tranmere 7 -1 8
16 Newport County 6 -2 8
17 Stevenage 7 -2 8
18 Walsall 7 -2 8
19 Crawley Town 6 -3 7
20 Mansfield 7 -4 7
21 Bristol Rovers 7 -5 7
22 Scunthorpe 7 -7 6
23 Sutton Utd 5 -1 5
24 Oldham 7 -10 3

Some reaction from Old Trafford:

Bruno Fernandes: “Everyone knows what Cristiano brings to the club, and the world of football. It’s about everything we can do for the team, and getting a results. Good players can always be good together, and play in the same team. I was really happy to score, of course.”

Newcastle’s Steve Bruce: “That first goal is his goalscoring instinct – if there’s such a thing as a genuine superstar, this kid is it. We made a good fist of the game, but we weren’t quite good enough.”

It’s nice to see three clubs who have had their problems – Sunderland, Wigan and Bolton – leading the way in League One. Wimbledon and MK Dons are locked together in the play-off spots, while Ipswich drop into the bottom four.

Pos Team P GD Pts
1 Sunderland 6 5 15
2 Wigan 6 4 13
3 Bolton 7 4 12
4 AFC Wimbledon 7 3 12
5 Milton Keynes Dons 7 3 12
6 Accrington Stanley 7 0 12
7 Burton Albion 7 0 12
8 Plymouth 6 5 11
9 Wycombe 6 2 11
10 Oxford Utd 7 1 11
11 Portsmouth 6 2 10
12 Sheff Wed 6 1 10
13 Rotherham 6 0 9
14 Cheltenham 7 -1 9
15 Cambridge Utd 6 -1 8
16 Lincoln City 6 1 7
17 Fleetwood Town 6 0 7
18 Morecambe 6 0 7
19 Gillingham 6 -1 6
20 Charlton 6 -3 4
21 Shrewsbury 7 -7 4
22 Ipswich 6 -5 3
23 Crewe 6 -6 2
24 Doncaster 6 -7 1

League One and League Two results

League One

Burton 1-1 Gillingham
Cambridge 1-5 Lincoln
Charlton 0-2 Cheltenham
Ipswich 2-5 Bolton
MK Dons 1-0 Portsmouth
Morecambe 3-4 Wimbledon
Oxford 0-0 Wycombe
Plymouth 3-0 Sheffield Wednesday
Rotherham 2-4 Fleetwood
Shrewsbury 1-1 Crewe
Sunderland 2-1 Accrington
Wigan 2-1 Doncaster

League Two

Crawley 2-1 Carlisle
Forest Green 1-0 Northampton
Hartlepool 1-0 Bristol Rovers
Leyton Orient 4-0 Oldham
Rochdale 1-0 Tranmere
Salford City 1-0 Bradford City
Scunthorpe 0-4 Exeter
Sutton 2-1 Stevenage
Swindon 1-2 Port Vale
Walsall 3-1 Mansfield

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In the Championship, Fulham’s loss at Blackpool allows West Brom to edge a point clear at the top. It was a good day for Stoke, Bournemouth and sixth-placed Coventry, who all won at home. Reading plunge into the bottom three after letting a 3-1 lead slip at home to QPR.

Pos Team P GD Pts
1 West Brom 6 7 14
2 Fulham 6 9 13
3 Stoke 6 2 13
4 QPR 6 6 12
5 AFC Bournemouth 6 6 12
6 Coventry 6 2 12
7 Birmingham 6 6 11
8 Huddersfield 6 1 10
9 Blackburn 6 1 9
10 Cardiff 5 3 8
11 Bristol City 6 0 8
12 Luton 6 -2 8
13 Preston North End 6 -2 7
14 Millwall 6 -2 6
15 Middlesbrough 6 -2 6
16 Derby 6 -2 6
17 Barnsley 6 -3 6
18 Sheff Utd 6 -2 5
19 Blackpool 6 -3 5
20 Hull 6 -3 5
21 Swansea 6 -4 5
22 Reading 6 -6 4
23 Peterborough 6 -8 4
24 Nottm Forest 5 -4 1
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“I think Dundee United signed the wrong No. 7,” notes Simon McMahon. “St Mirren 0-0 United, FT.”

Elsewhere in Scotland, Celtic beat Ross County 3-0 with Albian Ajeti scoring twice and Motherwell go up to fourth with a 2-0 home win over Aberdeen. Dundee and Livingston also drew 0-0.

Here’s the latest Premier League table:

Pos Team P GD Pts
1 Man Utd 4 8 10
2 Man City 4 10 9
3 Brighton 4 2 9
4 Tottenham Hotspur 4 0 9
5 West Ham 4 5 8
6 Chelsea 3 5 7
7 Liverpool 3 5 7
8 Everton 3 4 7
9 Leicester 4 -2 6
10 Brentford 4 1 5
11 Crystal Palace 4 0 5
12 Aston Villa 3 1 4
13 Wolverhampton 4 -1 3
14 Southampton 4 -2 3
15 Watford 4 -4 3
16 Arsenal 4 -8 3
17 Leeds 3 -4 2
18 Burnley 3 -3 1
19 Newcastle 4 -7 1
20 Norwich 4 -10 0
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Championship results

A late, late leveller for Luton at Ewood Park where Luke Berry has struck in the 98th minute. Here are all the Championship results:

Blackburn 2-2 Luton
Blackpool 1-0 Fulham
Bournemouth 3-0 Barnsley
Bristol City 0-0 Preston
Coventry 2-0 Middlesbrough
Reading 3-3 QPR
Sheffield United 6-2 Peterborough
Stoke 2-1 Huddersfield
Swansea 0-0 Hull
West Brom 1-1 Millwall

Full time! Southampton 0-0 West Ham

West Ham hold on for a point but Michail Antonio’s late red card capped a disappointing afternoon for the Hammers.

Full time! Arsenal 1-0 Norwich

Sighs of relief at Arsenal, who probably should have won more comfortably. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang got the only goal to lift the Gunners off the foot of the table.

Full time! Leicester 0-1 Man City

It’s a hard-fought win for the champions, who dominated the first half but had to hang on after Bernardo Silva’s goal, which proved to be the winner.

Full time! Man Utd 4-1 Newcastle

Two goals from Cristiano Ronaldo on a dream second debut, while late strikes from Bruno Fernandes and Jesse Lingard send Manchester United top of the table. A good day at Old Trafford.

GOAL! Brentford 0-1 Brighton (Trossard 90')

Oh my! Leandro Trossard has surely snatched victory for Brighton with a superb strike. The Seagulls are heading back into the top four, as it stands.

Leandro Trossard sticks Brighton’s nose in front with a fine finish. Photograph: Ian Tuttle/Shutterstock
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Red card! Antonio sent off for West Ham

Michael Antonio, August’s player of the month, is sent off for picking up a second yellow card. Guess who put him in their fantasy team!

Full time: Watford 0-2 Wolves

An own goal from Francisco Sierralta and a late second from new signing Hwang Hee-chan give Wolves their first league win of the season.

GOAL! Man Utd 4-1 Newcastle (Lingard 93')

Return of the King. Jesse Lingard comes off the bench to get Manchester United’s fourth!

Jesse Lingard scores Manchester United’s fourth goal. Photograph: Clive Brunskill/Getty Images
Lingard celebrates. Photograph: Clive Brunskill/Getty Images
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Norwich are still testing the nerves of the Arsenal fans, while Southampton go close again – Broja’s header is cleared off the line by Declan Rice.

Norwich press upfield but Arsenal counter, and Nicolas Pepe fails to take advantage. Into stoppage time there and at St Mary’s, where it’s still goalless.

At the Madejski, the away fans are going absolutely wild – Stefan Johansen has levelled for QPR at Reading. It’s 3-3!

“Big bust up between Lexi and Chef Matthew on Below Deck Med,” notes Chris N. “Deserves it’s own Clockwatch.” Is Team Hannah/Sandy the new Team Ronaldo/Messi?

Leicester keep pushing for an equaliser, Ruben Dias making a last-ditch intervention with time ticking down. “Arsenal are in control” are the fateful words on Sky, with Bukayo Saka bending the ball wide of goal. They lead Norwich 1-0 at an anxious Emirates.

Who needs Messi? Ander Herrera has his second for PSG at home to Clermont; they lead 2-0.

In League Two, Forest Green are heading top of the table after Jamille Matt’s opener against Northampton – and Sutton are on course for a first-ever EFL win. They lead 10-man Stevenage 2-1 at Gander Green Lane.

GOAL! Watford 0-2 Wolves (Hwang 84')

Substitute Hwang Hee-chan makes the points safe at Vicarage Road. His nickname is “the Bull”, so he should fit in nicely at Wolves.

Wolverhampton Wanderers’ Hwang Hee-Chan scores their second goal. Photograph: Andrew Couldridge/Action Images/Reuters
Hwang celebrates after doubling Wolves’ lead. Photograph: David Klein/Reuters
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GOAL! Man Utd 3-1 Newcastle (Bruno Fernandes 80')

Ronaldo has two, and now his compatriot adds a third with a belter of a strike from 25 yards!

Bruno Fernandes whoomps home United’s third. Photograph: Phil Noble/Reuters
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Southampton hit the post! It’s substitute Armando Broja who so nearly puts the hosts ahead against an off-colour West Ham. And there’s another goal at Old Trafford ...

Chelsea v Aston Villa: team news

Thomas Tuchel hands Saúl a start on his Chelsea debut. Join Scott Murray for all the latest from the Bridge.

Chelsea: Mendy, Chalobah, Thiago Silva, Rudiger, Hudson-Odoi, Kovacic, Saul, Alonso, Ziyech, Havertz, Lukaku.
Subs: Arrizabalaga, Christensen, Jorginho, Werner, Loftus-Cheek, Mount, Chilwell, Azpilicueta, Barkley.

Aston Villa: Steer, Cash, Konsa, Mings, Tuanzebe, Targett, Jacob Ramsey, Douglas Luiz, McGinn, Ings, Watkins.
Subs: Sanson, Traore, Young, Nakamba, El Ghazi, Hause, Bailey, Archer, Sinisalo.

Oof, susbtitutes Kelechi Iheanacho and Ademola Lookman almost combine for a Leicester leveller. Still 15 minutes or so for them to find one.

Reading lead QPR 3-2 at the Mad Stad, John Swift completing his hat-trick before Rangers hit straight back. It’s got a bit silly in League One: Cambridge 1-5 Lincoln, Ipswich 2-5 Bolton, Morecambe 3-3 Wimbledon and Rotherham 2-4 Fleetwood are all actual latest scores.

It’s five for Sheffield United! Ndiaye gets his second of the game. Elsewhere, Stoke lead Huddersfield 2-1, Luton have one back at Blackburn, and Coventry lead Middlesbrough 1-0. I invite you to imagine the face on Boro boss Neil Warnock right now.

It’s still Brentford 0-0 Brighton and Southampton 0-0 West Ham. As it stands, one of these games won’t be last on Match of the Day.

GOAL! Watford 0-1 Wolves (Sierralta own goal)

Wolves have their first goal of the season ... and it’s scored by a Watford player as Francisco Sierralta (I think) puts through his own net.

Full time scores in the Bundesliga: Leverkusen 3-4 Dortmund, Freiburg 1-1 Cologne, Fürth 0-2 Wolfsburg, Hoffenheim 0-2 Mainz, Union 0-0 Augsburg.

It’s all happening now. Celtic lead Ross County 2-0, Albian Ajeti with their second. John Swift has his second as Reading lead QPR 2-1 on a tricky day for the Championship’s early pace-setters. Sheffield United are not among them, but they lead Peterborough 4-1. Morgan Gibbs-White is the latest name on the scoresheet.

“Clockwatch could be vastly improved by streaming the video and audio the Guardian’s MBM commentator is watching so we could compare the two,” suggests Ben Bamford.

I’ll be honest, I’m watching Below Deck Mediterranean and letting the Guardian supercomputer do the rest.

GOAL! Arsenal 1-0 Norwich (Aubameyang 66')

A big goal at the Emirates, where Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang fires home on the rebound. After a lengthy VAR check (hello, Mike Dean) the goal is given.

Arsenal’s Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (centre) slots the ball home. Photograph: Daniel Leal-Olivas/AFP/Getty Images
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GOAL! Leicester 0-1 Man City (Silva 62')

And a breakthrough at the King Power Stadium, where Manchester City lead. Bernardo Silva pounces after Rodri’s shot wrong-foots Kasper Schmeichel.

Bernardo Silva scores Manchester City’s first goal past Leicester City keeper Kasper Schmeichel. Photograph: Shaun Botterill/Getty Images
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