Cristiano Ronaldo helps Manchester United complete stunning 3-2 comeback vs Atalanta

Manchester United have once again risen from the depths of despair and completed a stunning turnaround in the second half against Atalanta to relieve some pressure on under-fire manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer with a dramatic 3-2 victory. It was another special Champions League night under the lights at Old Trafford as goals from Marcus Rashford, Harry Maguire, and a late winner from Cristiano Ronaldo helped United overturn a 2-0 first-half deficit and register their second win of the group stage.

Solskjaer made three changes to the United side following their disappointing 4-2 defeat to Leicester City with Paul Pogba dropping to the bench and Marcus Rashford earning his first start of the season. United started on the front foot with Scott McTominay bursting through midfield to tee up Marcus Rashford, but it was Atalanta who drew first blood against the run of play as former Chelsea defender Davide Zappocasta’s low cross across the face of goal was turned in by Mario Pasalic from close-range.

Things went from bad to worse a few minutes later as the Italian outfit from Bergamo doubled their lead with central defender Merih Demiral overpowering Luke Shaw and Harry Maguire in the air to head home from a corner.

The groans were palpable in the Old Trafford crowd as Fred and Rashford squandered opportunities to score, and the half-time whistle was greeted by boos from the United faithful. However, United continued to create openings in the second period, and the Red Devils finally found their way back in the game after Bruno Fernandes released Marcus Rashford with a clever through ball before the Englishman side-footed it into the far corner for his second goal since returning from injury.

David de Gea continued his fine form this season and kept United in the game with a crucial double save off Duvan Zapata and Ruslan Malinovskyi before United levelled the scores with Harry Maguire finishing smartly into the bottom corner after Atalanta failed to deal with a Bruno Fernandes cross.

Solskjaer through on Pogba, Sancho and Cavani in the search of a late turnaround, and the decisive moment came from the head of Cristiano Ronaldo, who rose superbly to meet Luke Shaw’s inch-perfect cross and powered his header past Musso to send Old Trafford into delirium.

It was far from pretty for United, but the Red Devils rallied superbly in the second half to snatch the three points and take the top spot in the group. There are tougher tests to come for Manchester United with Liverpool heading to Old Trafford on Sunday, but following this dramatic comeback, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and the Red Devils can live to fight another day.