1:53 PM ET
Rob DawsonCorrespondent
MANCHESTER, England — On the pitch on Saturday, Cristiano Ronaldo kept alive Manchester United’s hopes of qualifying for next season’s Champions League but off it, the 3-2 win over Norwich City was set against a backdrop of more supporter unrest.
The day ended with United three points closer to the top four thanks to Ronaldo’s hat trick — his 19th, 20th and 21st goals of the season — and defeats for both Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal. But while Antonio Conte and Mikel Arteta were busy shooting themselves in the foot, United fans were protesting outside the entrance to the directors’ box at Old Trafford, chanting “we want Glazers out” and “sack the board.” The anti-Glazer songs carried on all afternoon: “stand up if you hate Glazers” and other versions with more expletives.
“We are working hard to create the conditions for renewed success on the pitch, while strengthening our engagement with fans,” a United spokesperson said in a statement on the protests. “We respect the right of fans to voice their opinions peacefully and we will continue to listen to them, with the aim of working together to get the club back to where we all want it to be: competing for trophies.”
The fans who chose to stay outside for the first 17 minutes — one minute for each year of Glazer ownership — missed Ronaldo’s first goal after seven minutes but saw his stunning free kick crash in off the post midway through the second half to ensure Ralf Rangnick’s side just about took advantage of their rivals’ slip-ups. It’s not so much a race to finish in the top four but a slow crawl.
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“We should not have to rely on Ronaldo,” Rangnick said afterwards. “Defensively I was not happy at all. The results elsewhere were good but it doesn’t make sense to look at other results. We need to raise our game.
“It was highly important we won but the way we played was not good…
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