Date: 11 November 2007, Old Trafford, Premier League

Background: Cristiano Ronaldo had six magnificent years in Manchester, although 2007/08 – the season he won the Ballon d'Or – was comfortably his best in terms of goals. Of his 42 in all competitions, a superb brace came in our 2-0 win against Blackburn on this day 12 years ago. With United slipping to second in the table in our previous game – a 2-2 draw at Arsenal – Sir Alex Ferguson’s Reds needed a win to keep pace with the Gunners, and Ronaldo’s bullet header on 34 minutes settled the team after a nervy start, before his brilliant second just a minute later...

The goal: With Mark Hughes’s Rovers still licking their wounds following the opener, a long ball into the Blackburn half found Louis Saha, who flicked it out wide to Carlos Tevez. With the Argentinian tearing down the left as Ronaldo kept pace on the opposite flank, Tevez timed his cross to perfection, using the outside of his right boot to roll the ball beyond the Blackburn backline and into the path of the onrushing Portuguese. One effortless touch later, the ball was in the net.

What happened next: David Dunn’s red card made things easier for the Reds as we eased though the second half to win 2-0, meaning top spot was reclaimed.

Reaction: That strike made it 26 goals in 51 games for club and country in 2007 for United’s no.7, and Sir Alex was quick to praise the 22-year-old post-match. “We've got young players led by Cristiano and Wayne Rooney, and more in the likes of Carlos Tevez and Nani and Anderson, but this team has to win something – they have a great chance of doing so." Indeed they would, as the Reds reclaimed the Premier League by pipping Chelsea to the trophy, before beating the Blues in the Champions League final.