Ronaldo Hits Hatrick as Man Utd Defeat Spurs in Five-goal Thriller

Cristiano Ronaldo scored a spectacular hat-trick to take Manchester United up to fourth with a 3-2 win over Tottenham at Old Trafford.

On his return to the team after missing the Manchester derby, Ronaldo gave United the lead on three separate occasions in scoring his first hat-trick since his return to the club.

Tottenham did well for much of the game, twice equalising thanks to Harry Kane’s penalty and, in the second half, through Harry Maguire’s own goal, but Ronaldo was the difference.

The result lifts Ralf Rangnick’s side up into the top four above Arsenal, while Antonio Conte’s Spurs are now five points behind them – albeit with two games in hand.

How Man Utd won it

Ronaldo’s first goal was truly sensational, arrowed into the net from well outside the penalty box to send Old Trafford wild – and perhaps send a message to his detractors.

But Spurs pushed hard once behind, Ben Davies having a goal disallowed after being put in by Heung-Min Son and Eric Dier having a header cleared off the line by Diogo Dalot.

They found an equaliser when Dejan Kulusevski’s cross hit the stray hand of Alex Telles inside the penalty box and Kane fired emphatically past David de Gea from the spot.

It  was no more than the away side deserved but their work was undone when Jadon Sancho raced in behind the defence and squared the ball for Ronaldo to score from close range.

The game settled into a pattern in the second half with Spurs probing – Son going close when directing his shot just wide of the post – and United playing on the counter-attack.

Conte’s team were rewarded with their second equalising goal of the game when Son fed Sergio Reguilon and Maguire only managed to divert the cross past his own goalkeeper.

But Ronaldo had the final say – his towering header from Telles’ right-wing corner finding the back of the net, before he took the acclaim of his adoring crowd yet again.