The Red Devils were tipped to put Steve Bruce’s men to the sword and that was the case at Old Trafford.
Ronaldo, who was at the heart of the news before kickoff, stole the show in his second debut for Manchester United.
He broke the deadlock on the cusp of halftime when he tapped in home from close range after goalkeeper Freddie Woodman failed to hold on to Mason Greenwood’s shot.
Javier Manquillo brought the visitors back into the game on 56 minutes but it was short-lived as Ronaldo swiftly restored the hosts’ lead on 62 minutes.
Bruno Fernandes' stunning strike from distance on 80 minutes followed by substitute Jesse Lingard's late effort sealed the victory that takes United to the top of the Premier League table.
"I'm so happy for Cristiano Ronaldo. I'm so happy for the team and supporters. You sense the atmosphere around the club since he signed. It could easily have been an anti-climax because expectations were so high,” Solskjaer said after the game.
"It feels like one of the old days. It’s special. Cristiano Ronaldo is a special man and a special player for us in the history of the club.
"He senses big moments and scores goals. He’s clinical, he’s ruthless. He’s lifted the team and everyone around the club. Everyone is dreaming. They can dream and we’ll focus.
"We know we have the quality up front, we can score goals. I know we had to be patient, that was important today. When they scored at 1-1, it could go both ways. The players responded really well."
