Cristiano Ronaldo has scored more goals against Premier League's top five than any other player
Cristiano Ronaldo scored his 23rd goal of the season for Manchester United in the draw with Chelsea.
Ronaldo’s goals had some fans saying ‘we don’t deserve him’, and for sure, his current teammates certainly do not.
It was surprisingly his first ever Premier League goal against Chelsea – but scoring against the league’s top teams is not a rarity for Ronaldo.
A statistic shown by Sky Sports show Ronaldo has more goals against the current Premier League top five than any other player, twice as many in fact.
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Ronaldo’s big goals
Ronaldo has proven this season he is still capable of stepping up, providing Manchester United give him the service.
His figures stand out above the rest, and show what an outstanding player he truly is, regardless of his age – which makes his feats even better.
Ronaldo’s goals against the top five can be broken down, with four alone against Tottenham, three against Arsenal, and one against Chelsea.
While there were none against Liverpool and Manchester City, he only played in one game each against these two sides, missing matches via injury or compassionate reasons, and in the matches he did play, he got no service with United’s midfield overrun.
An unthinkable alternative
Ronaldo has turned out to be an essential signing, especially considering the alternatives, who have contributed just three goals combined for United.
Edinson Cavani has a paltry two goals all season, while Anthony Martial scored just one – before being loaned to Sevilla, where he also has just netted once.
United knew Cavani and Martial were unreliable, prompting the move for Ronaldo in the first place.
Cavani had returned late for the season after an extended spell in Uruguay, and then has continued to struggle with injury throughout the campaign.
Martial was not fully match fit when he started the season, and barely contributed when he did play. His 23-goal season two years ago feels incredibly distant.
United relying on Cavani and Martial all season would be unthinkable, and quite frankly, we have no idea where the goals would have come from, especially considering the Mason Greenwood situation and Marcus Rashford’s sad decline.
