Man United vs Brighton: Cristiano Ronaldo Ends Goal Drought to Fire Red Devils to Fourth

• Manchester United vs Brighton EPL encounter saw the Red Devils bounce back to winning ways in style
• Second-half goals from Cristiano Ronaldo and Bruno Fernandes were enough to earn United three crucial points
• Ralf Rangnick's men now sit fourth on the log momentarily with 43 points, two ahead of West Ham who now drop to fifth

Man United vs Brighton Premier League meeting at Old Trafford ended in a 2-0 win for the Red Devils on Tuesday night, February 15.

United were desperate to use the tie to return to winning ways for a chance to revive their hopes of finishing in the top four.

Ralf Rangnick's charges had gone two matches without a win - dropping points on both occasions despite taking a commanding lead.

However, it was a different ball game altogether when they took on Brighton as they remained clinical in defence to cart away maximum points.

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Cristiano Ronaldo, who had not scored in six straight matches was United's hero on the night as his spectacular goal in the 51st minute of the tie earned the home side a vital win.

How Man United lined up vs Brighton

Rangnick made two changes to his Man United team from the squad that drew 1-1 with Southampton.

Paul Pogba and Marcus Rashford were both dropped for the Seagulls' visit, with Anthony Elanga and Fred starting.

United had to make a last-minute change to the team after Raphael Varane, who had been named in the starting XI dropped out due to illness with Victor Lindelof taking his place.

How Man United faired in the match

The first half of the match ended in a 0-0 draw, with both teams failing to break the deadlock after 45 minutes of action.

However, it was Brighton who came closest to scoring, with the hosts having David de Gea to thank after the Spaniard made a crucial save to keep his side in the game.

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However, Rangnick's charges sprung to life in the second half when Ronaldo fired home the opener in the 51st minute, with the forward drifting past a couple of tackles before hammering it into the corner from the edge of the box.

Brighton were reduced to 10 men soon after following Lewis Dunk's red card who earned his marching orders for fouling Elanga.

With the match set to end 1-0, Bruno Fernandes doubled United's advantage with virtually the last kick of the match to seal a crucial win for his side.

The three points momentarily fired the Red Devils to fourth with 43 points, two ahead of fifth-placed West Ham.