Goal Rush: Ronaldo Scores Hat-Trick as United Crush NewcastleGoal Rush: Ronaldo Scores Hat-Trick as United Crush Newcastle Manchester United stormed to a resounding 6-0 victory over Newcastle United at St. James’ Park on Sunday, with Cristiano Ronaldo bagging an impressive hat-trick. The Portuguese superstar opened the scoring in the 21st minute with a clinical finish from the edge of the box. Just seven minutes later, he doubled the lead with a towering header, leaving the Newcastle defense helpless. In the 49th minute, Ronaldo completed his hat-trick from the penalty spot, sending goalkeeper Karl Darlow the wrong way. The 37-year-old’s remarkable performance marked his 61st career hat-trick and his eighth for Manchester United. Bruno Fernandes got in on the act in the 59th minute, curling a beautiful free-kick into the top corner. Substitute Andreas Pereira added a fifth with a stunning long-range effort, while Paul Pogba sealed the rout in injury time. Ronaldo’s hat-trick was his 14th goal of the season, making him the Premier League’s leading scorer. It was also his first hat-trick in a United shirt since 2008. The victory lifted Manchester United to third in the table with 18 points, while Newcastle remained 19th with only five points. Manager Erik ten Hag praised Ronaldo’s performance, saying: “He is a phenomenal player. He has a great desire to score goals and he showed that today. His hat-trick was exceptional.” Newcastle manager Eddie Howe admitted that his team were outclassed: “Manchester United were too good for us today. We made some mistakes and they punished us heavily. We need to learn from this and improve.” With Ronaldo firing on all cylinders, Manchester United will be confident of challenging for the Premier League title this season. Their next match is a tough away clash against Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday.