MANCHESTER UNITED 3-2 NORWICH CITY: CRISTIANO RONALDO HAT-TRICK REKINDLES CHAMPIONS LEAGUE HOPES

Cristiano Ronaldo's hat trick gave Manchester United a wild win, as the Red Devils blew a 2-0 cushion before seizing a late victory against last-place Norwich City.

Ronaldo hat trick elevated Manchester united hope of Champion league

Ronaldo's second hat-trick in five games put some shine on another underwhelming performance from United, whose pursuit of a top-four spot was nonetheless strengthened thanks to defeats for rivals Arsenal and Tottenham. They looked to be strolling to victory when Ronaldo was teed up for an early tap-in after Ben Gibson was caught in possession (7) and grabbed a second by nodding home Alex Telles' corner (32).

Norwich had created chances without threatening to defy their goal-shy reputation until Kieran Dowell headed Teemu Pukki's cross past David de Gea on the stroke of half-time, and the Finland striker beat the offside trap to level seven minutes into the second period.

On an afternoon where the pre-match preparations had been overshadowed by widespread protests outside the ground against the Glazer ownership, the atmosphere around Old Trafford began to sour to the point that Paul Pogba was booed on his substitution at 2-2. However, Ronaldo's 25-yard thunderbolt free-kick winner with 15 minutes remaining restored the good feeling around the ground, and put the hosts right back in contention to finish fourth.

Christiano Ronaldo hat trick spark fire at Old Trafford as United Fans celebrate victory.

Norwich remain seven points from safety with six games to play, with their hopes of survival continuing to look increasingly bleak.

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