Roy Keane hailed Cristiano Ronaldo as fantastic and a genius as his hat-trick secured a 3-2 win for Manchester United over Tottenham.
Cristiano Ronaldo was labelled a “genius” by Roy Keane after his spectacular hat-trick inspired Manchester United to a vital 3-2 victory over top-four rivals Tottenham.
A week on from United’s humbling 4-1 Manchester derby defeat, Ronaldo delivered an emphatic response to rumours surrounding his absence at the Etihad by scoring his second Manchester United hat-trick to drag Ralf Rangnick’s side up to fourth in the Premier League.
Ronaldo’s first-half thunderbolt and close-range finish, either side of Harry Kane’s penalty, gave United the lead at the break. After Harry Maguire’s own goal saw Spurs equalise for the second time, Ronaldo had the final word as he completed a stunning hat-trick with a late towering header.
“Ronaldo looked angry today, he played with a lot of aggression,” Keane told Sky Sports.
“He’s obviously upset with whatever happened last week, but he showed today what we have seen over the years.
“The guy’s a genius; his three goals were fantastic. He brings so much to the team, why people think he cannot bring goals or value…”
Gary Neville added, “The belief Ronaldo has in himself. He is in the twilight of his career, but he is absolutely sensational, a superstar of the modern game, one of the greatest of all time, and the greatest goalscorer of all time.
“Manchester United are not very good, I have to say. But there are moments in the game that are magical. The fans are buzzing because they’ve seen Ronaldo, they feel like they’ve seen something special.”
