Cristiano Ronaldo’s shirt was grabbed by a pitch invader after Manchester United’s Atalanta comeback

Manchester United stewards were forced to wrestle a pitch invader to the ground after a supporter raced on and tugged on Cristiano Ronaldo’s shirt.

Ronaldo’s heroics once again helped United to a stunning comeback victory in the Champions League, after he scored a crashing header late on to seal the result.

The superstar was unable to hide his delight at full-time, having dropped to his knees and roared with sheer emotion before making his way towards the tunnel.

It was here, however, that one fan clearly caught up in the thick of the moment made the mistake of storming the surface and heading in the direction of Ronaldo.

After celebrating once again in front of a TV camera, the five-time winner of the competition was completely unaware of the hectic scramble behind him.

With the supporter managing to break free from the stands, they then were able to weave their way towards the players, leading several stewards on a chase. 

The fan raced across the pitch at Old Trafford and got within inches of the Unites superstar

Ronaldo was left surprised by the incident before turning around and heading down the tunnel

The pursuit lasted across almost the entirety of the pitch, and the invader was also able to reach out a hand and touch Ronaldo’s jersey, to the forward’s surprise.

Eventually, one steward was able to catch up and wrestle them down to the floor – after another steward arrived and unfortunately slipped on to his backside.

Luckily, Ronaldo was not perturbed by the incident. Instead, he smirked and turned back around towards the camera, having glanced over his shoulder. 

After another quick check of what had unfolded behind him, Ronaldo continued down the tunnel and was greeted with a wave of jubilation from the crowd. 

For the second Champions League game in a row, Ronaldo scored the late winner for United

United were forced to pick up the three points the hard way once again, having found themselves 2-0 down at half-time and been subjected to some jeers.

Mario Pasalic sneaked in at the front post to open the scoring at Old Trafford, before Merih Demiral asserted himself at a corner to nod behind David de Gea. 

Manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer believes that Ronaldo, after rounding off a comeback sparked by goals from Marcus Rashford and Harry Maguire, has answered his critics.

The mercurial attacker has been criticised by former team-mate Gary Neville for his work-rate and after storming down the tunnel after the draw with Everton. 

His towering header sparked wild scenes and saw United come from behind against Atalanta

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer believes Ronaldo has answered his critics with his match-winning display

‘If anyone wants to criticise him for his work rate or attitude, just watch this game, watch how he runs around – he’s great in front of goal,’ Solskjaer said.

‘I was really pleased with how he led the line. We asked him to run the channels and press more. We were at home and we wanted to get the crowd behind us.

‘He did everything a centre-forward should do, leading the line and defending. The goal is just what he does better than most.’

Solskjaer, who will be relieved after a victory which perhaps eases the pressure on him, reacted angrily when asked if the result proved that the team is playing for him. 

Ronaldo was able to ghost in between two defenders and nod the ball back into the far corner

‘Don’t even start, don’t disrespect the players,’ he added. ‘They played for Man United and they are the luckiest men in the world because they’re the ones who get to play for Man United. Millions of boys and girls would love to do that.’ 

Paul Scholes, however, was critical of United’s performance – and insisted that his old club were fortunate to escape with a win which sent them top of Group F.

‘I get the United excitement, that first half put me off the second half, if they were playing a better side they would have been out of sight,’ he said on BT Sport.