Cristiano Ronaldo enjoyed a triumphant return to the José Alvalade Stadium last night as his goal ensured that Manchester United’s Champions League campaign got off to a winning start against Sporting Lisbon.

There was an inevitability to proceedings when Ronaldo dived low to meet Wes Brown’s inviting cross and head the only goal of the tie in the 62nd minute, but the Portugal winger pointedly refused to celebrate the goal against his former club, bowing to the crowd in an apparent apology after scoring. “I feel good but this is my second home and I’m a little bit sad,” Ronaldo said. “These people [the Sporting fans] are very important for me because they helped me a lot when I played here in Portugal.

“When I scored I did nothing with my hands because I think it would not be fair, but I’m happy with the victory. It was a fantastic game.”

This was United’s fourth successive 1-0 victory — and their 100th in the competition — but again they looked disjointed and lacking an out-and-out centre forward as Sporting were left to rue missed chances.

Still, this had been dubbed a make-or-break week for the Barclays Premier League champions and, having followed up their victory away to Everton on Saturday with a win in Lisbon, they will approach Sunday’s match against Chelsea at Old Trafford with confidence.

Sporting enjoyed the lion’s share of possession in the first half and would have led at the interval but for the quick reflexes of Edwin van der Sar. The United goalkeeper tipped Liedson’s drive round a post in superb style and came to United’s rescue 12 minutes from time when he palmed away a header from Tonel.

Wayne Rooney played his first game after 5½ weeks out with a fractured foot but struggled to make an impact before being replaced with 18 minutes to go.

“Winning our first game away from home, like we did last year, sets the tone for us,” Ferguson said. “We’ve got a good start. There was far more purpose in our game.”

Arsenal were more convincing winners, taking their impressive domestic form into their match against Seville and securing an impressive 3-0 victory.It was the seventh win in eight matches this season for the Barclays Premier League leaders — a 1-1 draw away to Blackburn Rovers is the lone blemish on their record — and was achieved in front of a full house, in stark contrast to the sparse attendance at Stamford Bridge for Chelsea’s tie against Rosenborg the previous evening.

Seville, managed by Juande Ramos, who has been consistently linked with the manager’s job at Tottenham Hotspur, tried to play Arsenal at their own quick-passing game but seldom threatened. Arsène Wenger’s team took the lead when Cesc Fàbregas’s shot deflected in off Julien Escudé. Robin van Persie doubled the lead from close range and Eduardo Da Silva added a third in the final minute. “We are playing football from a different planet,” Van Persie said. “It’s nothing to do with age, it’s to do with quality.”

Wenger disagreed, however. “It was not as comfortable as the scoreline suggests,” he said. “We had to be tactically consistent for the whole game. There’s a belief in there, but we must play with the same focus against Derby on Saturday. That is the challenge for the team.”