Juan Mata made a rare Old Trafford appearance in Manchester United’s 3-2 win over Norwich on Saturday.
It was his first Premier League outing at the Theatre of Dreams this season. After not being used in the league all campaign, Ralf Rangnick has decided to give Mata some game-time in back-to-back games after he came on against Everton last weekend.
The Spaniard has made just two starts in the seven matches he has featured in across all competitions this term and is set to leave United when his contract expires this summer. Mata has taken a fair number of free-kicks in his career, but ceded to Cristiano Ronaldo in the 76th-minute against Norwich.
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The 33-year-old was seen talking to the Portugal superstar before he lashed home the set-piece past Canaries goalkeeper Tim Krul to complete a 60th career hat-trick. Taking to Twitter, Mata joked about what he said to Ronaldo prior to the taking of the free-kick.
“OK Cristiano, you shoot,” he wrote. Thanks to Tottenham and Arsenal both losing either respective games against Brighton and Southampton, the win means United are now just three points from fourth spot.
They edge above the Gunners on goals scored but have played a game more. Nevertheless, the weekend’s results will give them confidence that, with six games to go, the race for Champions League qualification is not over just yet.
