LIVERPOOL: Erik ten Hag hopes Cristiano Ronaldo’s 700th goal with the club in his career can spark the striker’s performance again after the Portuguese striker scored Manchester United’s 2-1 win at Everton early this morning.
The five-time Ballon d’Or winner is familiar with life on the sidelines under Ten Hag after starting just once in the Premier League this season.
Ronaldo was again placed on the bench but was given an early chance due to Anthony Martial’s injury.
The 37-year-old grabbed the chance before the end of the first half to give United the three points in an action that saw plenty of mistakes made by both teams.
“Every player needs it (confidence), even if you are the best in the world,” Ten Hag said after Ronaldo’s first Premier League goal of the season.
“I work with a lot of goalscorers and they need goals every season to get that feeling, to confirm their instincts.
“When they get some goals, it will continue and the games will be easy. That will also be the case for him.”
The Red Devils tried to bounce back after being beaten 6-3 by Manchester City last week but got off to a poor start.
In his first Premier League game since arriving from Real Madrid, Casemiro’s mistake led to the opening goal when Amadou Onana’s interception allowed Alex Iwobi to curl the ball into the corner from outside the penalty area.
Everton came into the game with the best defensive record in the league, but United equalized after 10 minutes.
Antony, who became United’s first player to score in the opening three Premier League games, finished off Martial’s fine pass.
Martial only lasted half an hour after suffering a hip injury.
It created space for Ronaldo to get in and he needed just 14 minutes to do it.
Casemiro made up for his mistake by winning the ball in the middle and passing the ball to his former Real Madrid team-mate who fired low past Jordan Pickford.
The goal increased Ronaldo’s goal tally for United to 144.
The Madrid record holder scored 450 goals for the Spanish giants while 101 for Juventus and five for Sporting Lisbon.