Ronaldo hat-trick rescues Red Devils again
Hat-trick hero
By Chris O'Brien
April 18 2022
Cristiano Ronaldo scored a sensational hat-trick as Manchester United boosted their hopes of qualifying for next season's Champions League with a hard-fought 3-2 win over Norwich City at Old Trafford on Easter Saturday.
Ralf Rangnick's men made hard work of the Canaries - throwing away a two goal advantage, before Ronaldo snatched the winning goal from a set-piece.
Talisman Ronaldo, who bagged a second hat-trick in successive home league games for United, opened the scoring with seven minutes on the clock as he tapped home after Anthony Elanga dispossed a sloppy Ben Gibson.
It looked as though it could be a straight forward Easter Saturday for the Red Devils as Ronaldo made it a brace with a towering header shortly after the half-hour mark, powering home an Alex Telles corner.
However, Norwich reduced the arrears through Kieran Dowell before the interval after some good work from Teemu Pukki. The Finnish international, capped over 100 times for his country, then turned scorer seven minutes after the restart to complete the comeback - as United failed to pick Norwich's prize man up.
Ronaldo, however, came to United's rescue again. After David De Gea brilliantly denied Milton Rashica a third Norwich goal, Ronaldo settled the contest with a fine free-kick, to the relief of the majority of the 73,381 crowd. Another match ball was the Portugease icon's prize - which he gifted to 17-year-old striker Alejandro Garnacho, who was an unused substitute for the hosts.
Tottenham and Arsenal suffered surprise defeats during the Easter weekend, while Burnley held West Ham. It means United's hopes of a top four finish have been dramatically enhanced - but Rangnick's side will surely need to improve, with the likes of Liverpool, the Gunners and Chelsea to play, as they look to sneak into Europe's elite competition once again.
Happy Easter!
Full Time - Manchester United 3-2 Norwich City
Attendance - 73,381
Talisman Ronaldo, who bagged a second hat-trick in successive home league games for United, opened the scoring with seven minutes on the clock as he tapped home after Anthony Elanga dispossed a sloppy Ben Gibson.
It looked as though it could be a straight forward Easter Saturday for the Red Devils as Ronaldo made it a brace with a towering header shortly after the half-hour mark, powering home an Alex Telles corner.
However, Norwich reduced the arrears through Kieran Dowell before the interval after some good work from Teemu Pukki. The Finnish international, capped over 100 times for his country, then turned scorer seven minutes after the restart to complete the comeback - as United failed to pick Norwich's prize man up.
Ronaldo, however, came to United's rescue again. After David De Gea brilliantly denied Milton Rashica a third Norwich goal, Ronaldo settled the contest with a fine free-kick, to the relief of the majority of the 73,381 crowd. Another match ball was the Portugease icon's prize - which he gifted to 17-year-old striker Alejandro Garnacho, who was an unused substitute for the hosts.
Tottenham and Arsenal suffered surprise defeats during the Easter weekend, while Burnley held West Ham. It means United's hopes of a top four finish have been dramatically enhanced - but Rangnick's side will surely need to improve, with the likes of Liverpool, the Gunners and Chelsea to play, as they look to sneak into Europe's elite competition once again.
Happy Easter!
Full Time - Manchester United 3-2 Norwich City
Attendance - 73,381