Manchester United interim manager Ralf Rangnick praised his side's marked second-half improvement during the win over Brighton and Hove Albion.
Without a win in three matches across all competitions, the Red Devils were booed off by the Old Trafford faithful following a goalless first half.
The hosts registered just three shots on goal to their opponents’ eight during the opening 45 minutes, while enjoying only 41 per cent of possession.
However, the pendulum swung in their favour early in the second half, Cristiano Ronaldo breaking the deadlock with his first goal of 2022 before Lewis Dunk was dismissed for bringing down Anthony Elanga.
Bruno Fernandes sealed the points deep into stoppage time with his fourth goal in as many Premier League appearances against Brighton.
"First half was Mr Hyde; second half Dr Jekyll – and for a change, [the result] was different," Rangnick said.
"In the end, it was important to get the three points against an in-form team. Brighton are very possession-based, full of confidence, and we had to take more risks in the second half; it paid off.
"In the first 10 minutes of the second half, we had more success moments, and it raised the crowd; they were not moaning and were getting behind the team
"We scored the goal and got the red card. It should have been 3-0, 4-0 after 75 minutes, but there is a bit of lack of assuredness in front of goal."
United also registered their second clean sheet in three home Premier League games – as many as they managed in the previous 18 – but did so without Raphael Varane, who pulled out of the starting line-up due to illness.
Addressing the defender's situation, Rangnick revealed: "On the way from the hotel after dinner and team meeting, he had stomach problems.
"We were hoping to get rid of it with medication, but he did not feel well and that is why we played with Victor Lindelof instead."
Victory lifted United above West Ham and back into the top four of the Premier League table.
David de Gea, who made several smart saves to keep Brighton at bay, revealed his team-mates' delight at getting back to winning ways, but feels they should be in a stronger position than they are.
"It is great always when you have the three points, especially after we drew the last few games," the goalkeeper said. "We are all very happy.
"We knew that Brighton is one of the teams that play very well with the ball, press very good and, for me, it is a very good team.
"We pressed high in the second half. We controlled the game after the red card and there was a five-minute spell when they came back.
"We should be fighting for more things than the top four, but that is the reality. There are many teams fighting for the same position and with the quality we have, we should win a lot of points."
Cristiano Ronaldo scores 900th goal: The stats behind Portugal great's latest landmark
Another match, another landmark for Cristiano Ronaldo.
The five-time Ballon d'Or winner insisted he still has more to offer at the international level this week, and he brought up 900 career goals by netting in Portugal's Nations League Nations League opener versus Croatia.
It was a typical poacher's finish that brought up Ronaldo's latest landmark, the forward beating his marker to Nuno Mendes' left-wing cross to sidefoot home and put Portugal 2-0 up inside the first half.
Never one to rest on his laurels, Ronaldo will now surely be targeting the big 1,000, though Pele's FIFA-recognised figure of 1,281 goals will surely prove beyond the 39-year-old.
As Ronaldo plots a route to four figures, we dive into the Opta data to look at how he reached his current total, highlighting the most interesting facts and figures.
Ronaldo's 900th career goal was also his 131st in 213 appearances for Portugal, with both of those figures being all-time records both for the Selecao and for any male player on the international stage.
The ultimate goal poacher, he has scored 109 of those from inside the penalty area, though only 20 have come from the penalty spot – he memorably missed his last spot-kick for the Selecao, versus Slovenia in the Euro 2024 quarter-finals.
Ronaldo struggled at this year's tournament in Germany, where he had 23 shots but failed to find the net – the first time he has not scored at a major international competition. Only fellow Portugal great Deco has ever had more efforts at a single edition of the Euros without scoring, firing off 24 shots without success at the 2004 tournament.
However, Ronaldo does boast 22 goals at the World Cup/Euros for Portugal overall, winning the Golden Boot with five strikes at Euro 2020, five years on from captaining the Selecao to their maiden trophy. Only two of those, though, have come in knockout matches – versus the Netherlands at Euro 2004 and Wales at Euro 2016.
Still, Ronaldo's international legacy speaks for itself, and his achievements on the club stage are even more impressive.
Ronaldo scored five times for boyhood club Sporting CP before leaving for Manchester United, for whom he plundered 145 goals across two separate spells.
He has broken three figures with all but two of his clubs, netting 101 times for Juventus and being well on the way to doing so with Al-Nassr, for whom he has 68 goals.
It was at Real Madrid, however, where Ronaldo earned his goal machine tag, scoring exactly half his career goals (450) for Los Blancos and helping them win the Champions League four times.
He is the leading goalscorer in Madrid's illustrious history, some 96 clear of former team-mate Karim Benzema (354), who represented the club 648 times, compared to Ronaldo's 438 appearances.
Overall, Ronaldo has scored 573 of his goals with his favoured right foot, with 173 coming via his left and almost as many – 152 – coming via headers, with his aerial prowess becoming increasingly notable throughout his career.
What about dead balls? Ronaldo has converted 164 penalties for club and country, including a spot-kick in the 2014 Champions League final versus Atletico Madrid.
Ronaldo's free-kick taking has been an area targeted by those looking to do down on his achievements at times, but he has scored 64 direct free-kick goals throughout his career, the latest coming in a 4-1 win over Al-Fayha in the Saudi Pro League before the turn of the month.
Where, then, do Ronaldo's achievements rank versus those of his peers? Drum roll please... Ronaldo is currently some 62 goals ahead of his great rival Lionel Messi, who has 838 career strikes for Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain, Inter Miami and Argentina.
With Ronaldo firing on all cylinders in Saudi Arabia and looking unlikely to give up the ghost at international level any time soon, few would bet against him extending that advantage before the two greats hang up their boots.
Hayes: Men's game still not ready for female coach
Emma Hayes believes men's football is still not ready for the prospect of female coaches, saying there is much work to be done to bring about true equality in the game.
Hayes won seven Women's Super League titles during a glittering 12-year spell in charge of Chelsea before leaving to take charge of the United States in May.
Like England coach Sarina Wiegman, Hayes has sometimes been suggested as somebody who could make the transition from the women's game to men's football, but no female coach has ever taken charge of a team in England's top four tiers on a permanent basis.
Forest Green Rovers made Hannah Dingley caretaker manager last year while in the fourth tier, only to overlook her and go through three permanent bosses – including former Watford striker Troy Deeney – as they dropped out of the Football League.
Speaking during an appearance on the Today programme on BBC, Hayes said barriers remain in place to prevent women succeeding in the men's game.
"I think you need to get more owners in to ask them that question, because they're the people you have to ask that question to. I'm not the one in charge of that," Hayes said.
Asked whether club owners are ready to appoint a female coach, Hayes said: "Of course they're not, otherwise it would have happened by now.
"I've said this a million times over – you can find a female pilot, a female doctor, a female lawyer, a female banker, but you can't find a female coach working in the men's game, leading men.
"It just shows you how much work there is to be done."
Hayes has been nominated for the Women's Coach of the Year prize at the Ballon d'Or awards ceremony, which will take place on October 28.
Wiegman, Filipa Patao, Arthur Elias, Jonatan Giraldez and Hayes' Chelsea successor Sonia Bompastor are also in the running.
USWNT icon Morgan announces retirement and pregnancy
United States legend Alex Morgan has announced her retirement from professional football, also confirming she is pregnant with her second child.
Morgan is one of the most recognisable and decorated players in the history of the USWNT, helping them win back-to-back World Cups in 2015 and 2019 as well as capturing an Olympic gold medal at London 2012.
Her tally of 224 caps puts her ninth in the team's all-time appearance charts, while only Abby Wambach (184), Mia Hamm (158), Carli Lloyd (134) and Kristine Lilly (130) have bettered her total of 123 goals for the team.
Since she made her international debut in March 2010, no player has been involved in more goals for the USWNT than Morgan (175, 123 goals, 52 assists).
Her 88 goal involvements (60 goals, 28 assists) in regular-season NWSL play, meanwhile, put her third in the all-time charts, behind Sam Kerr and Lynn Williams (both 102).
Despite featuring regularly for the USWNT earlier this year, she was left out of Emma Hayes' squad for the Paris Olympics, where they beat Brazil to win a record-extending fifth gold medal.
Morgan, who returned to the NWSL with the San Diego Wave in 2022 following a brief spell in the Women's Super League with Tottenham, confirmed on Thursday that her second pregnancy had influenced a decision that was already on her mind.
"I want to get to the point quickly – I'm retiring. I have so much clarity about this decision, and I am so happy to be able to tell you," Morgan said in a video posted to X.
"It has been a long time coming, and this decision wasn't easy, but at the beginning of 2024 I felt in my heart and soul that this was the last season that I would play soccer."
Morgan will play one final match for San Diego before hanging up her boots, versus the Carolina Courage in the NWSL on Sunday.
In a statement released by U.S. Soccer, the 35-year-old said: "I grew up on this team, it was so much more than soccer.
"It was the friendships and the unwavering respect and support among each other, the relentless push for global investment in women's sports, and the pivotal moments of success both on and off the field.
"I am so incredibly honoured to have borrowed the crest for more than 15 years. I learned so much about myself in that time and so much of that is a credit to my team-mates and our fans.
"I feel immense pride in where this team is headed, and I will forever be a fan of the USWNT."
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