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Manchester United were spared their blushes against last-placed Norwich City in the Premier League on Saturday thanks to Cristiano Ronaldo's hat-trick at Old Trafford. The hosts secured a 3-2 win after Norwich had restored parity in the 52nd minute of the game after being 2-0 down.
United started the game on a positive note as Ronaldo opened the scoring in the seventh minute from Anthony Elanga's assist. The young Swede robbed Ben Gibson of the ball inside the box and cut inside for Ronaldo to score an easy goal.
The hosts doubled their lead in the 32nd minute from Ronaldo's header but conceded right at the death before the half-time whistle.
Norwich, buoyed by their late goal, started the second half with determination. They scored the equalizer in the 52nd minute from Teemu Pukki's close-range finish.
However, a free-kick from Ronaldo in the 76th minute made sure that the Red Devils went away with all three points in the bag.
Interim manager Ralf Rangnick must've breathed a huge sigh of relief as his side kept their top-four hopes alive. A lethargic performance in the first 30 minutes of the game cost Norwich a point here as they looked solid throughout the second half.
With Ronaldo being the match-winner for the Red Devils again, here we take a look at the five talking points from the game.
#5 Manchester United struggled to deal with Norwich's counterattacks
There were two factors at play that allowed Norwich to score twice in quick succession against the hosts. Firstly, United got complacent after taking a two-goal lead and were unable to defend well against Norwich's quick transition plays.
Pukki's movement caused a lot of problems for the defenders. He ended up picking the assist for their first goal and later scored the second one himself.
Secondly, Norwich were caught napping for the first two goals and only grew into the game by the halftime mark. They struggled to keep hold of the ball and Pukki rarely saw the ball.
Whenever Norwich attacked in numbers on the counter, United lost their shape and allowed the players to move into dangerous positions. They have just one clean sheet in their last nine games across all competitions and need to work even harder in the defensive third.
#4 Norwich set an unwanted record as they miss out on a draw by a slim margin
The game looked set for an easy win for Manchester United as they were 2-0 up by the 32nd minute. Norwich conceded two soft goals and did not look dangerous in the final third.
However, they fought back well to pull the scores level in the second half. They looked set for a third straight game without a loss but the in-form Ronaldo scored a free-kick to condemn them to a loss.
They remain in last place in the league standings with this defeat and also suffered their 16th defeat against the hosts. They have now lost more games (34) in the league against Manchester United than any other team.
#3 United might've found their ideal attacking trio
Though Cristiano Ronaldo stole the show with a hat-trick, his attacking partners Elanga and Jadon Sancho also enjoyed solid outings. Elanga's pressing helped create the first goal while Sancho provided great width on the left flank.
Both wingers had three key passes to their name in the game. While Elanga came off with an assist here, Sancho completed four dribbles and showed that he could be a helpful player in the buildup.
United have experimented with a lot of trios up front this season with less than desired results. However, both wingers were willing to do the running alongside Ronaldo operating as the target man against Norwich. Rangnick should arguably allow the partnership to take shape in the coming games.
#2 Cristiano Ronaldo enjoys another goal-studded outing at Old Trafford
Ronaldo scored a hat-trick in the second consecutive home game in the Premier League for Manchester United at Old Trafford. He found the back of the net thrice against Tottenham Hotspur last month too, in a game that also ended 3-2 in favor of the Red Devils.
Twelve of his 15 Premier League goals have come at home this season, so it seems he enjoys playing at Old Trafford. He also reached a couple of interesting goalscoring milestones in the win.
He became the first player aged over 36 years to score 15 or more goals in the league's history. He has now scored 20+ club goals in 16 consecutive seasons in all competitions.
#1 Ronaldo lives up to his match-winning reputation as United's reliance on him continues to grow
Ronaldo came up with yet another clutch performance and scored the winning goal from a direct free-kick against Norwich City. It seems the club are becoming heavily reliant on his goalscoring exploits to obtain positive results.
The 37-year-old accounts for roughly a third of the club's league goals this season. He has scored 15 goals in 26 appearances in the league so far with United scoring 52.
He continues to deliver outcomes week in and week out. The team will certainly look to support him in the final phase of the season as they push for the fourth spot in the table. They are currently fifth, three points off fourth-placed Tottenham Hotspur.
