Antony sets Man Utd record with goal vs Everton as Cristiano Ronaldo responds
Manchester United winger Antony set a club record after scoring against Everton at Goodison Park on Sunday evening.
The Brazilian winger netted the equaliser on Merseyside with a brilliant, swept finish after Alex Iwobi had given the hosts the lead early-on with an equally eye-catching strike. Antony’s goal was his third since a £70m-plus switch from Eredivisie giants Ajax in the summer – meaning only academy graduate Marcus Rashford has scored more for the side this season.
Whilst the strike continued his hot run of form since arriving at Old Trafford, it also saw a long-standing Red Devils record broken.
Antony goal VS Everton
— 7 (@BIuess7ii) October 9, 2022
Antony actually became the first United player to score in their first three Premier League appearances for the club. Having found the net in the Red Devils’ win against Arsenal on his debut, he also scored in the recent 6-3 humiliation against fierce rivals Manchester City.
It is a record that he will no doubt be aiming to extend with Erik ten Hag ’s men back in league action against in-form Newcastle United next weekend.
United captain Bruno Fernandes was full of praise for the way that his new teammate has adapted to life in England. Speaking to BT Sport following the final whistle at Goodison Park, the Portuguese said: “He’s [Antony] an amazing player. We knew the qualities he has — that’s why the club paid that amount of money for him.”
Whilst the evening was a memorable one for Antony, his Red Devils’ colleague Cristiano Ronaldo also responded in kind with a memorable strike of his own. Having been substituted onto the pitch for the stricken Anthony Martial, the Portuguese eventually gave the Red Devils the lead with a clinical finish just before the break.
His strike was the 700th goal of his club career having harnessed the reputation as one of the best goalscorers in the history of the game across spells with United, Real Madrid, Juventus and of course his first club Sporting Clube de Portugal.
Ronaldo’s 700th goal in club football! 🇵🇹
— United Goals ⚽️ (@UnitedGoals__) October 9, 2022
That was a number that Ronaldo looked unlikely to reach – at least with United this season – after he submitted a request to leave Old Trafford. In the end, he was deprived of a move away from United and is now set to stay until at least January with just under a year remaining on the contract that he penned to return to Old Trafford.
For the time being though, he and Antony proved to be matchwinners for the Red Devils. Marcus Rashford thought he had rounded off the scoring within the closing ten minutes at Goodison Park but saw his strike chalked off by VAR due to a handball in the build-up.
Victory nonetheless against Everton lifted United up to fifth in the Premier League standings ahead of next week’s showdown with Newcastle.
