Thousands of Manchester United fans chanted Cristiano Ronaldo's name in unison as their team lost 1-3 to Brighton in the fifth round of the English Premier League.
After the home side reduced the deficit to 1-3 in the 73rd minute thanks to a goal from substitute Hannibal Mejbri, chants of "Viva Ronaldo" began to erupt in the Old Trafford stands.
This is the slogan Manchester United fans used to express their support for a player who had represented the club twice, between 2003-2009 and 2021-2022. The chant then spread powerfully and overwhelmed a section of the stands.
Ronaldo was forced to leave Man Utd to join Al Nassr in January. Prior to that, the 38-year-old striker caused a stir in an interview with TV host Piers Morgan. There, he accused Man Utd of betrayal and admitted to disrespecting Erik ten Hag, revealing secrets about the club, including its stagnant infrastructure and operational issues.
Shortly after Ronaldo's departure, Manchester United showed signs of revival under Ten Hag's leadership. They won the League Cup and finished in the top four of the Premier League. However, after the first five rounds of this season, the "Red Devils" have lost three matches, against Tottenham, Arsenal, and Brighton. The fact that Man Utd fans are chanting Ronaldo's name shows that they no longer support Ten Hag as they did when the conflict between the two erupted.
Ten Hag was criticized by Manchester United fans for substituting striker Rasmus Hojlund in the defeat to Brighton. Photo: Reuters
On social media platform X, many Man Utd fans are resharing Ronaldo's goal against Brighton in February 2022, when he dribbled past two players before unleashing a powerful shot to beat goalkeeper Robert Sanchez.
"Suddenly reminded me of the time Ronaldo single-handedly dismantled this super team Brighton," one fan wrote. Another commented: "Ronaldo showed who's in charge."
MC Piers Morgan also chimed in: "Witnessing Man Utd's humiliating home defeat against Brighton, does anyone still doubt that Ronaldo was 100% right about the club and Ten Hag? They've only gotten worse since Ronaldo left."
Yesterday, Man Utd started strongly, creating many chances but squandering them, and were eventually beaten by former player Danny Welbeck in the 20th minute. At the start of the second half, they conceded two more goals from Pascal Gross and Joao Pedro. Young midfielder Hannibal pulled one back, but that wasn't enough to ease the pain of the home fans.
Many Manchester United fans left the stadium after their team conceded a third goal. Earlier, many were unhappy that manager Ten Hag substituted new signing Rasmus Hojlund for Anthony Martial, who had only scored two goals in his last 15 games.
Duy Doan (according to Extra )
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