Cristiano Ronaldo set unique Man United record with hat-trick vs Tottenham

Cristiano Ronaldo became the first Manchester United player in history to give the club the lead on three separate occasions in the same Premier League fixture after netting a treble against Tottenham Hotspur.

After missing last Sunday’s 4-1 defeat to cross-city rivals Manchester City, Ronaldo, who returned to Portugal last weekend, was restored to the starting line-up and netted just his second hat-trick in United colours. After giving the home side the lead in spectacular fashion, Spurs drew level through a well-taken Harry Kane penalty.

However, United restored their lead just three minutes later as Ronaldo tapped home Jadon Sancho’s cross. Spurs refused to throw the towel in and got themselves back on level terms for a second time through a Harry Maguire own goal.

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Ronaldo, however, had the final say, heading in Alex Telles cross with just nine minutes of normal time left on the clock. It marked his first United hat-trick since bagging one against Newcastle United in 2008.

But, whilst it was an extraordinary performance from the five-time Ballon d’Or winner, he added another personal achievement to his ever-growing collection. As per Opta, Ronaldo became the first United player to give the club the lead at three different points in the same Premier League match.

He put United 1-0 up, scored to make it 2-1 and then completed his treble to make it 3-2. It is a ground-breaking statistic and one that will secure yet another place for him in the United history books.

On the former Real Madrid man’s performance, United interim manager Ralf Rangnick said: “We were just joking and maybe it makes sense to send him to Portugal for three days, then have him not training for two days, then have him back training on Thursday, if that’s the way he performs.

“Maybe we’ll have to do that for the rest of the season. He was on a similar level in training on Thursday, by the way, which is why I decided after that training session to play him from the start.

“He made the difference for sure, but not only for the three goals. That was the best performance from him, at least since I arrived here, on and off the ball.”

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