Manchester United 4-1 Newcastle: Three Things We Learned

The return of Cristiano Ronaldo was always going to be the big headline on Saturday regardless of what the result turned out to be, and in the end, we saw an efficient and intriguing performance from Manchester United that ended with them winning 4-1 at Old Trafford.

Their opponents, Newcastle Untied, had a few bright moments but ultimately couldn’t play the role of “spoiler” on a day that was intended to be a celebration. Now, the question turns to where United go from here as their fascinating start to the Premier League season continues.

CR7 is back

It was written in the stars for Cristiano Ronaldo to get on the scoresheet against Newcastle and that’s exactly what he did. The Portuguese sensation was in fine form with a close range strike as well as a really nice finish to help Manchester United on their way to securing all three points, on a day that proved why he’s still such a dangerous presence in this league. He may be 36 years old but when you’re as insanely talented as CR7 is, we don’t think that matters all too much – although time will tell if that continues.

Newcastle’s future

Newcastle, to their credit, did fight back and even managed to equalise in what was quite a testing day at the office given the circumstances. Steve Bruce said he wanted to try and spoil the party and while they may not have been able to do that, they did get about as close as they could’ve hoped. Whether or not Bruce remains in charge as manager beyond the next few weeks is probably the next big question this club has to deal with, because the last thing they want is yet another tense relegation battle.

Managing expectations

Manchester United fans are understandably going to get pretty excited about what’s to come this season but it’s also good to be realistic. Sure, they’ve got a whole lot of attacking talent at their disposal, but defensively speaking there are still some holes that need plugging and their midfield continues to feel a little bit incomplete. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has a strong enough squad at his disposal to make a real go of it across a range of competitions in the months to come but if you’re out there thinking the Red Devils can mount a serious title challenge, we’re here to suggest that may be a step too far.