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Cristiano Ronaldo etched his name into the history books with an incredible hat-trick during Manchester United's 3-2 win over Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League on Saturday.
The 37-year-old is now the highest ever goalscorer in professional football (807) according to FIFA, surpassing former Austrian-Czech forward Josef Bican with his second goal of the night against Spurs.
It took Cristiano Ronaldo just 12 minutes to leave his mark on the game at Old Trafford. The Portuguese forward unleashed a fizzing shot from outside the box to leave Spurs goalkeeper Hugo Lloris with no chance of stopping the thunderous strike.
The ball nestled into the far top corner and Cristiano Ronaldo reacted with his iconic 'Siuuu' celebration in front of the home crowd. Despite taking the lead, Manchester United were put under pressure by Spurs, who were disallowed a goal due to offside.
Eventually, Antonio Conte's visitors had their lifeline when Alex Telles handled the ball inside the penalty area. The referee awarded a penalty against Manchester United and Harry Kane stepped up to convert it with ease.
While it seemed like both teams would enter the half-time interval level-pegging, Cristiano Ronaldo displayed his class once again. The Red Devils' talisman stabbed home from close-range after a cross from Jadon Sancho to restore Manchester United's slender advantage in the 38th minute, just three minutes after the equalizer.
Cristiano Ronaldo ensures Manchester United captain Harry Maguire is a relieved man
Things took a turn for the worse in the second half for the Red Devils as Harry Maguire netted an own goal. Spurs were back on level terms yet again and it seemed as if the hosts were likely to drop points.
However, Cristiano Ronaldo had other plans and he stepped up in dramatic fashion to ensure Manchester United walked away with maximum points. The forward leaped high to plant a header past Lloris from a corner and essentially put the game to bed with just nine minutes remaining.
Ralf Rangnick's men leapfrogged Arsenal into fourth place in the Premier League with the win over Spurs. United lead the Gunners by two points, but have played four more games than the north London side.
Notably, West Ham and Tottenham, too, have games in hand over United. As such, the Red Devils still have plenty of work to do if they are to secure Champions League qualification for next season.
United will next face Atletico Madrid in the second leg of their Champions League Round of 16 tie, currently level at 1-1 on aggregate.
Here are some of the best reactions from the game:
