Ronaldo to the rescue as United complete thrilling Champions League comeback

Cristiano Ronaldo headed in an 81st-minute winner as Manchester United came from two goals down to beat Atalanta 3-2 in a pulsating Champions League match at Old Trafford.

Mario Pasalic put Atalanta ahead in the 15th minute, turning in Davide Zappacosta’s low ball from close range, and United, with just one win in their last five games in all competitions, looked drained of belief.

It was no great surprise when the Italian side doubled their lead in the 29th minute with Merih Demiral rising at the near post to glance in an angled header from a Teun Koopmeiners corner.

Fred and Marcus Rashford missed good chances for United before the break but the home side got themselves back into the game in the 53rd minute.

A clever ball from Bruno Fernandes allowed Rashford to cut in from the left and he picked his spot with a shot into the far corner.

United drew level when Harry Maguire drilled the ball home at the back post after the stationary Atalanta defence failed to intercept a Fernandes ball across the box.

Then came the winner as Luke Shaw whipped in a superb cross from the left and Ronaldo rose highest to perfectly place a header past Musso.

The win, if not the complete performance, relieves some pressure on United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, who has found himself under fire after a run of disappointing results.

United top the group after three games on six points with Atalanta and Villarreal two points behind.

In other key games, Chelsea romped past Malmo 4-0, Barcelona recorded a much-needed 1-0 win over Dynamo Kyiv and Bayern Munich thumped Benfica 4-0.

Reuters