Mueez Ajao
– Cristiano Ronaldo scored his second hat-trick in three Premier League games to boost Manchester United’s hopes of qualifying for next season’s Champions League at the expense of relegation-threatened Norwich at Old Trafford.
– Knowing victory would take them within three points of the top four, Ronaldo appeared to have put United in control when he scored twice in the opening 32 minutes.
– However, appalling defending from the hosts either side of the interval allowed Norwich to equalise through Kieran Dowell and Teemu Pukki and for a while Dean Smith’s side looked the more likely winners.
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– But after Ralf Rangnick had abandoned his bold tactic of playing without a recognised ball-winner in midfield and replaced Paul Pogba with Juan Mata, Ronaldo drove a free-kick home off the inside of a post 14 minutes from time to secure victory.
– The 37-year-old is now on 15 Premier League goals for the season, trailing only Mo Salah and Son Hueng-min in the standings. He has also moved on to 99 career Premier League goals.
– United can move level on points with fourth-placed Spurs if they win at Liverpool on Tuesday.
– For Norwich the outcome was a major blow to their faint hopes of avoiding the drop. The Canaries are now seven points behind fourth-bottom Everton, having played two games more and with only six matches to do something about it.
