Manchester United defeated Tottenham Hotspur 3-2 in a Premier League crunch match at Old Trafford on Saturday, with Cristiano Ronaldo scoring a magnificent hat-trick. Ralf Rangnick’s team put in another poor effort, especially without the ball, but the individual brilliance of their veteran striker was enough to secure all three points.
The tone of the game was set early on, with United leading 2-1 at halftime despite having spent the majority of the game in their own half. A shaky start was quickly ended as Ronaldo smashed a ferocious 25-yard shot into the top corner barely twelve minutes in, taking advantage of space created by a clever flick from Fred in United’s midfield.
It waited until after the half-hour mark, but United was finally made to pay for their inaction. Referee Jon Moss pointed to the penalty spot after Dejan Kulusevski wellied a cross against Alex Telles’ unusually outstretched arm. De Gea was correct in his prediction, but Harry Kane’s penalty was a combination of power and placement that found the bottom corner.
United took the lead again barely four minutes later. A tantalising Nemanja Mati chip took the Spurs defence off guard and sent Jadon Sancho sprinting through on goal. He sent a simple square ball for Ronaldo, who finished off a first-half brace by tapping in from point-blank range.
Spurs, on the other hand, appeared to be more likely to score early in the second half. On the hour mark, a fast counter resulted in a square ball from Kulusevski to Son, but the Korean midfielder could only shoot wide of de Gea’s near post from the edge of the box.
Spurs kept piling on the pressure as a tired United struggled to come up with anything offensively. Ronaldo was forced to plough his own lonely furrow up top, chasing wayward balls hurled his way. The hosts paid the price with just under 20 minutes remaining. Son found Sergio Reguilón down the left side of United’s box, and his low pass across the six-yard area was turned in by none other than Reds captain Harry Maguire.
But, once again, conceding a goal jolted a sluggish United. After a fantastic pass from the excellent Sancho, Ronaldo drew a good save from Hugo Lloris. With 10 minutes remaining, the Portuguese attacker completed his hat-trick to give United the victory. Telles’ superb corner was met by a tall Ronaldo, who effortlessly shook off Matt Doherty’s attempt to meet the ball. It was a bullet of a header that sailed into the top corner for a 3-2 victory and three points.
