Manchester United interim manager Ralf Rangnick says United were “aggressive enough in the vital moments” to achieve a vital 3-2 win over top-four rivals Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League at Old Trafford.
Man of the Match Cristiano Ronaldo stole the headlines with an emphatic hat-trick, overshadowing Harry Kane’s penalty goal and an unfortunate own-goal for Harry Maguire.
Rangnick was impressed with the Portuguese’s energy, along with the reaction from his side after last week’s loss in the derby.
Here’s what Rangnick had to say to MUTV, and other media, after the match…
BOUNCING BACK
“It was exactly the kind of reaction that we expected from the team after the poor performance in the second half against City. Coming back after two equalisers also showed the right mentality. We were really aggressive in those moments and also defended well in the last seven, eight minutes and in the end, I think we deserved to win.”
WE WANTED IT MORE
“[The performance] was at least aggressive enough in the vital moments. I think we showed the desire to win that game and that was what it was about in today’s game. I told them before the game the team that wants to win more will, in the end, be successful.”
RONALDO’S BEST PERFORMANCE
“He made the difference today for sure. But not only the three goals he scored, also his work rate against the ball when Tottenham was in possession was so far the best performance. Let’s just hope that he stays fully fit for the rest of the season and we see further games like this one from the whole team and also from Cristiano.”
LATE CALL TO START RONALDO
“Well I didn’t expect him to score three goals, but I expected him to score. That’s why I decided to play him, although he only resumed training on Thursday. His training session on Thursday was so good that’s why I decided to play him from the start and not have him on the bench. In the end, it was the right decision.”
ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT
“Yes, we had moments [where we could improve] in the first half. In the first half, I think we were really good but we had many moments when they easily got into our penalty box. That could have been better but without Bruno, without Scott McTominay, it was not so easy in midfield. In possession, we were good but in their possession, we could have been better.”
ATTACKING SUBSTITUTIONS PAID OFF
“It was a must-win and that was why we had to take a high risk in the last 10 minutes, playing with almost four strikers after we had conceded the second equaliser which was difficult to cope with and deal with. But in the end, quite like against West Ham, we got the reward.”
BIG WIN, BIG BOOST
“Well, we’re still not in the best position because other teams have quite a few games in hand. Arsenal have four games in hand. For us, it was vital to win that game and this will also be the case with all our future, upcoming games. The next one is in almost three weeks against Leicester but now we are looking forward to another important game on Tuesday. Everybody in this city, every Man United fan, all the players, all the staff members, we want to proceed into the last eight of the Champions League. I think this game, and this result, will give us a boost for the game on Tuesday.”
Credit: Manchester United
