Cristiano Ronaldo made it 801 career goals as Manchester United beat Arsenal 3-2 in a brilliant see-saw game that had controversy and crucial VAR decisions last night.
Emile Smith Rowe fired in the opener with goalkeeper David de Gea down injured after Fred trod on his heel, with VAR awarding the goal.
Bruno Fernandes and Ronaldo turned the game United’s way.
Martin Odegaard restored parity but Ronaldo struck a penalty winner after a VAR check for a foul on Fred.
In scoring his two goals, 36-year-old Ronaldo became the first player in history to reach 800 goals in competitive games for club and country, doing so in 1,097 matches.
The drama was watched by Ralf Rangnick, who replaces Michael Carrick as interim United boss after this game. Carrick has stepped own and left Old Trafford.
….RONALDO’S 801 LANDMARK GOALS TIMELINE
Cristiano Ronaldo reached yet another historic landmark Thursday evening after scoring the 800th goal of his professional career against Arsenal.
The milestone was reached with the simplest of finishes – Marcus Rashford played the ball into the feet of the Portuguese great who swept home right-footed from 10 yards out.
To celebrate the 36-year-old’s sensational achievement, we look back at seven of his other landmark strikes from over the years.
Goal 100: Manchester United 3-1 Tottenham (FA Cup)
Ronaldo hit the 100 mark during his initial stint with Manchester United, with the milestone being reached in an FA Cup clash with Tottenham in January 2008.
The Portuguese star, only 22 at the time, scored twice in the game — his low drive in the dying minutes securing a 3-1 win for the Red Devils and also bringing up his personal century.
Goal 200: Real Madrid 2-0 Valencia (LaLiga)
It was 200 up for Ronaldo in December 2010, by which point he was becoming accustomed to grabbing headlines and re-writing history books as Real Madrid’s talismanic No7.
A low drive against Valencia sealed a double century of career strikes, achieved in a campaign where he would go on to beat Lionel Messi to be crowned LaLiga’s top scorer with a 40-goal haul.
Goal 300: Granada 1-2 Real Madrid (LaLiga)
It took less than 18 months for Ronaldo to add another 100 strikes onto his tally, blasting home a penalty against Granada in May 2012 as Los Blancos stormed to one of their most emphatic LaLiga triumphs ever.
He and Barcelona rival Lionel Messi would notch 96 league goals between them in that campaign — two of the greatest ever players truly at the peak of their powers.
Goal 400: Real Madrid 3-0 Celta Vigo (LaLiga)
The midway point of the megastar’s current astonishing tally, Ronaldo scored his 400th career goal in a comfortable 3-0 victory for Real Madrid against Celta Vigo in January 2014.
With the game still hanging in the balance at 1-0, the Portuguese made sure of Madrid’s victory in the 82nd minute before adding a third in injury time to claim his latest landmark strike.
Goal 500: Malmo 0-2 Real Madrid (Champions League)
As the Champions League’s all-time top scorer, it is no surprise that Ronaldo’s 500th career goal came in Europe’s elite competition.
In a group stage match against Swedish minnows Malmo in September 2015, CR7 was afforded acres of space to rifle home in typical fashion before going on to wrap up a comfortable win with his 501st goal for good measure.
Goal 600: Real Madrid 4-1 Juventus (Champions League)
Fittingly, Ronaldo’s 600th goal came on one of the grandest stages of all — the 2017 Champions League final.
Ghosting in at the front post to convert a low cross and put Real Madrid 3-1 up his against future employers Juventus, an eventual 4-1 win earned the legendary forward a fourth European crown of his career.
Goal 700: Ukraine 2-1 Portugal, Euro 2020 qualifier
If the 600th came in a memorable game, Ronaldo’s 700th arrived in slightly less glamorous circumstances — though he did at least notch it in national colours.
Though the Portugal skipper’s penalty could not prevent the Selecao losing in Ukraine, they would eventually go on to qualify for Euro 2020 — a tournament where Ronaldo finished top scorer.
