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Cristiano Ronaldo put on another tepid display for Manchester United during their 3-1 defeat to Aston Villa on Sunday, November 6, and Twitter users made their feelings known.
The Red Devils found themselves two goals down early on thanks to a Leon Bailey strike in the seventh minute and a superb Lucas Digne free kick four minutes later. Luke Shaw's deflected shot at the end of the first half gave the visitors hope, before Jacob Ramsey wrapped up the points for Villa in Unai Emery's first game in charge.
The defeat was Manchester United's first at Villa Park since August 1995 and has left them three points away from the top four after 13 games. Many people's attention naturally turned to Cristiano Ronaldo's contrubution in the game, which was minimal at best.
The 37-year-old forward played the full 90 minutes, during which time he picked up a yellow card and hit multiple shots wide. Cristiano Ronaldo was thoroughly outshined by young Alejandro Garancho on the left-flank, who was a rare bright spark for Manchester United.
The five-time Ballon d'Or winner was given the captain's armband for the clash, despite recently being dropped from the squad for his behavior during the recent win over Tottenham Hotspur. Many believe Cristiano Ronaldo cannot fit into an Erik ten Hag system and this was one of those displays which gave those supporters ammunition for that argument.
The Portuguese legend has scored just three times in his 16 appearances this term and numerous Manchester United fans took to Twitter to express their disappointment at his display:
Erik ten Hag describes performance as 'unacceptable' following Manchester United's and Cristiano Ronaldo's latest defeat
Manchester United were deservedly beaten by a determined Aston Villa outfit, who had a point to prove in front of new boss Unai Emery. The Red Devils fell to their fourth Premier League defeat of the campaign as the Cristiano Ronaldo soap opera again dominated chatter after the game.
Ten Hag's side face Villa again on Thursday evening in the Carabao Cup and the Dutch boss will demand to see a better display from his men. He told BBC Sport after the defeat in Birmingham:
"We lost the game at the start of first half and second half and that is not acceptable. They looked more fresh and more ready. We need to be more sharp. The result is really clear. It never lies. Today we were not good enough.
"We didn't get the right organisation. Wee created chances and good chances at 2-1. But you are really disappointed to concede at the start of the second half."
