Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has likened Cristiano Ronaldo’s heroics to that of Michael Jordan as he once more came to their rescue by netting twice to claw back a vital Champions League point against Atalanta.

Ronaldo engineered consecutive comeback victories in each of United’s last two European outings, and he left it until late in stoppage time in Bergamo to make it 2-2 on Tuesday to secure a vital point to keep the Red Devils top of their group.

Solskjaer looked to one of the NBA’s finest-ever players to draw a comparison with the ex-Real Madrid and Juventus ace, even though he admitted he was not overjoyed to see Ronaldo pass his own goal tally for the Red Devils.

“We kept going, we had a good attitude, we are fit, we did the same as at Old Trafford, we got a goal and we got a very important point,” the manager told BeIn Sport after the final whistle.

“[Ronaldo] is incredible, if there’s anyone you want the ball to fall to in the last minute, it’s him. He’s the best goalscorer alive, and it’s hard for me to say that because he just went past me with his two goals, now he’s got one more goal for Man Utd than me, but well done!

“That last goal there, that must be a Michael Jordan moment when he wins championships in extra time. No one can question the attitude and character of these players, they never give up, and sometimes we play better than tonight but as long as I see that attitude every time, the quality will come.”

A big weekend victory over Tottenham and now this draw appears to have shored up Solskjaer’s position, which seemed less than secure in the wake of the 5-0 defeat at the hands of Liverpool.

The Norwegian cannot afford to rest on his laurels, though, as the big games continue to come thick and fast in November starting with Saturday’s Manchester derby against neighbours City.