Manchester United vs. Tottenham score: Cristiano Ronaldo hat trick the difference in thrilling 5-goal match

 

A record day for Cristiano Ronaldo sees Manchester United break out of their funk. The Portuguese striker scored a hat trick to become the FIFA record holder for goals in competitive matches with 807, passing Josef Bican. Whether he needed rest in Portugal or to actually recover from an injury won't matter as Ronaldo played his best match of the season for Manchester United at a critical time with an upcoming clash with Atletico Madrid coming as they look to advance in Champions League play. 

WIth no Bruno Fernandes, Scott McTominay, or Luke Shaw, Ronaldo's big day was needed at Old Trafford.

Antonio Conte's Spurs had their chances as shown by their xG of 1.43 to Manchester United's of .93 but they weren't able to execute. Things looked good heading up the pitch but in the final third continuous breakdowns by Son Heung-Min and Sergio Reguilon would cost them. Even Harry Kane wasn't at his creative best with only a 58.3 pass completion percentage in the final third as Raphel Varane essentially marked him out of the match.

Ronaldo's first goal was quite the strike from outside the box as he was flicked the ball from Fred and unleashed a laser. 

It's one of those goals that you can't do anything about but Spurs would find their equalizer. Dejan Kulusevski used a bit of individual brilliance to beat Jadon Sancho on the dribble before crossing the ball into the box where it hit the hand of Alex Telles. Harry Kane wouldn't miss the ensuing penalty but Manchester United wouldn't let it sit level for long.

Ronaldo got another, this time from a team goal as Nemanja Matic hit the ball over the top to play in Sancho who is finding his way with the Red Devils after a rough start to the season. He crossed it into the box for Ronaldo to have the easiest finish that he could ask for on his record breaking goal. This would take it to the half with United having the 2-1 advantage due to superior execution. 

Anthony Elanga came into the match in the 68th minute to replace Marcus Rashford. Elanga would give United a more dynamic presence going forward as only David De Gea (29) had fewer touches than Rashford's 30 among starters. But Spurs would get an equalizer when a cross from Reguilon was turned into the net by Harry Maguire for an own goal in the 72nd minute. Trying to stop Cristian Romero from knocking it into the net, Maguire scored the most unfortunate of goals -- Spurs' ninth own goal of the season which is good for their third leading scorer.

It was a solid match for Maguire but that's a moment that will be remembered. Ultimately it won't matter as Ronaldo's third goal was a signature header where he rose above everyone in the 81st minute to knock Alex Telles' corner into the net and ensure that Spurs would travel home with something to think about before their game in hand against Brighton midweek.

Son Worry for Tottenham?

Son has been one of Spur's best players on the season but he looked lost on the day. While it's too early to worry that it's a larger issue, Son only having one shot in the first half is concerning given how much the team was getting forward. Too much of his play was recycling the ball back to Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg because an attacker couldn't get free which is why the midfielder had double the touches of anyone in the attacking trio or Matt Doherty.

Some of this is down to United's defensive approach but with Reguilon getting so much space up against Diogo Dalot, it's inexcusable for Son to go missing in the way that he did. Points are going to be hard to come by for Tottenham moving forward if this kind of play continues.

Has Alex Telles run with the left back spot?

While Shaw has been out, Telles has had a good run, and although today's match was a roller coaster with him giving away a penalty and assisting a goal. His two chances created only trailed Fred and Sancho for Manchester United. He also advanced the ball up the field with two take on's completed and put in six crosses. When the ball comes to Telles you can be sure somthing is going to happen even if you're not sure exactly what.

He didn't sacrifice defense for it either, winning two tackles and making eight ball recoveries as well. Telles doesn't shoot as much as Shaw but that's not a bad thing as he's more likely to stick to the left side of the pitch helping the team keep their shape. It'll be interesting to see what happens when Shaw returns but Rangnick will find it hard to bench Telles at the moment.

Player Ratings

Cristiano Ronaldo, Manchester United: The best player on either side of the pitch Ronaldo completed the most passes in the final third for United, scored three goals, and put a total of five shots on target from seven attempts. Rating: 10

Marcus Rashford, Manchester United: You'd be forgiven for thinking that Rashford wasn't on the pitch today as he did almost nothing over 68 minutes with no shots, no chances created, and only 17 attempted total passes. As rumors over his future swirl, you have to wonder if the injuries over the past few years are catching up to Rashford. Rating: 3

Nemanja Matic, Manchester United: Always a reliable plug and play guy for United, Matic did it all winning three tackles, having three interceptions, six recoveries, and laying on a through ball that created a goal. Rating: 8

Son Heung-Min, Tottenham: While slips aren't an official stat, Son seemed off on the day losing his footing twice in critical moments and taking too long to shoot or play the final pass. While he looked better when Lucas Moura came on the pitch, Spurs need Son at his best at every chance possible. Rating: 4

Ben Davies, Tottenham: While Davies didn't have much to do on the defensive end thanks to how adventurous Eric Dier and Romero were stepping out to close down opposition, some of the passes that he was threading from the left center back spot deserved better finishes from his teammates. He allowed Reguilon to be Spurs' most forward attacker but because of Son's struggles, Davies' day didn't hit the highs that it should. Rating: 7  

Cristian Romero, Tottenham: Winning a game-high five tackles, Romero's adventurousness showed during the match. He should've done better on Ronaldo's winner but given how good Ronaldo's movement is, that's easier said than done. Midfield, defense, and attack, Romero did it all. Rating: 6