Ralf Rangnick hails Manchester United unsung hero in Norwich win

Ralf Rangnick has hailed the impact of David de Gea after Manchester United fought to defeat Norwich 3-2 in the Premier League on Saturday afternoon.

A sensational hat-trick from Cristiano Ronaldo secured the three points for United and helped them close the gap on top-four rivals Arsenal and Tottenham ahead of a pivotal week of fixtures.

Ronaldo had given United a two-goal cushion thanks to his first-half brace, but Rangnick's side saw their lead slip after goals from Kieran Dowell and Teemu Pukki either side of the half-time whistle.

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With the scores level, Norwich nearly completed their comeback when forward Milot Rashica broke through on goal but he was denied by a sensational stop from De Gea at his near-post.

That stop turned out to be a crucial moment in the match as United went on to win it themselves when Ronaldo completed his hat-trick by firing a fine free-kick in at the near-post late on.

After the game much of the focus was on Ronaldo, though interim manager Rangnick was eager to praise the unsung hero in their vcitory.

“The 2-0 lead should’ve made life easier for us," Rangnick said after the match. "But it didn’t because we didn’t defend well. Both goals we should’ve defended much better and David de Gea kept us in the game with a brilliant save.

"If not for David De Gea we could have been 3-2 down, and then probably even lost the game. This should not happen. All respect to Norwich, I know there are no easy games in the league, but we have to defend better than we did today. Even more so if we think about the next two or three games."