Ronaldo Stuns with Hat-Trick as United Thrash LiverpoolRonaldo Stuns with Hat-Trick as United Thrash Liverpool In a thrilling encounter at Old Trafford, Cristiano Ronaldo stole the show with a stunning hat-trick as Manchester United demolished bitter rivals Liverpool 5-0. Ronaldo, who has been in prolific form since returning to United, put the hosts ahead in the 5th minute with a clinical finish from close range. Liverpool struggled to contain the Portuguese superstar, and he doubled United’s lead in the 22nd minute with a powerful header from a Luke Shaw cross. United were rampant, and they extended their lead further before half-time. Marcus Rashford made it 3-0 in the 38th minute with a brilliant solo effort, dribbling past two defenders and firing into the bottom corner. Liverpool looked shell-shocked and offered little resistance after the break. Ronaldo completed his hat-trick in the 53rd minute, latching onto a Bruno Fernandes through-ball and slotting it past Alisson Becker. The humiliation was complete in the 85th minute when substitute Mohamed Salah added a fifth for United. The Egyptian forward tapped in from close range after a superb team move. The victory was a resounding statement from United, who had endured a difficult start to the season. Ronaldo’s hat-trick was his 59th for the club, and it propelled him to the top of the Premier League scoring charts. “It was a special night,” said Ronaldo. “I’m so happy to score a hat-trick and help the team win. We played very well and we deserved to win.” For Liverpool, it was a disastrous performance and a major setback in their title race. Manager Jurgen Klopp was furious with his players’ display. “We were absolutely terrible,” said Klopp. “There are no excuses. We were outplayed in every department. We need to learn from this and improve quickly.” The result sent United to fifth in the Premier League, while Liverpool dropped to ninth.
