Cristiano Ronaldo Nets Hat-Trick in Manchester United’s Thrashing of ArsenalCristiano Ronaldo Nets Hat-Trick in Manchester United’s Thrashing of Arsenal In a scintillating performance that sent Old Trafford into a frenzy, Cristiano Ronaldo fired a scintillating hat-trick as Manchester United hammered Arsenal 5-0 in a pulsating Premier League encounter. The Portuguese talisman opened the scoring with a clinical finish after just six minutes, pouncing on a loose ball in the Arsenal defense. United doubled their lead in the 31st minute when Bruno Fernandes converted a penalty after Paul Pogba was fouled in the box. Ronaldo then stole the show in the second half, completing his hat-trick with two stunning strikes. In the 49th minute, he latched onto a cross from Luke Shaw and unleashed a thunderbolt into the far corner. Ten minutes later, he displayed his aerial prowess with a towering header from Marcus Rashford’s inch-perfect assist. United’s dominance continued as they piled on the misery for Arsenal. In the 67th minute, substitute Anthony Martial added a fifth goal to further humiliate Mikel Arteta’s team. The victory marked a significant resurgence for Manchester United under interim manager Ralf Rangnick, who praised his players for their relentless performance. “It was a great night for us,” Rangnick said. “We controlled the game from the first minute to the last and could have scored even more goals. Cristiano showed once again why he is one of the greatest of all time.” For Arsenal, the defeat was a humiliating blow to their top-four hopes. Arteta admitted that his team had been outplayed in every aspect of the game. “We were completely outclassed today,” Arteta said. “Manchester United were better than us in every area and deserved to win comfortably.” Ronaldo’s hat-trick was his 60th in his illustrious career, and it moved him to within six goals of Wayne Rooney’s all-time Manchester United record. The victory also moved United to fifth in the Premier League table, two points behind fourth-place Arsenal.