Ralf Rangnick admits Manchester United's defensive frailties mean his team could struggle to win even a point when they take on quadruple-chasing Liverpool in the Premier League this week.
United needed a 50th club career hat-trick from veteran attacker Cristiano Ronaldo to defeat relegation-haunted Norwich City 3-2 on Saturday.
Rangnick's side threw away a two-goal advantage at Old Trafford and needed a well-struck free-kick from Ronaldo 14 minutes from time to secure a vital three points in their battle for a top-four spot.
But the German interim manager admitted the defensive weakness shown by his team against the division's bottom club was a concern ahead of Tuesday's game against Liverpool at Anfield.
Jurgen Klopp's side remain on course for four trophies – they have already won the League Cup – as they sit just one point behind table-topping Manchester City and take on Villarreal in the Champions League semi-finals.
The Merseysiders beat City in the FA Cup semi-final at Wembley on Saturday.
“Everybody has seen today's game and everybody knows what kind of team we are playing on Tuesday,” Rangnick said.
“They [Liverpool] have just beaten Man City, they are in the cup final and they might have a chance to win four trophies this season.
“If we play like we did today, it will be very difficult to even get a point.
“This is what we have to be realistic and aware of. We have to be lot better when the opposition is in possession.”
Manchester United 3 Norwich 2: player ratings
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MANCHESTER UNITED RATINGS: David de Gea 8 - Rushed out to save from Pukki in a very dangerous second minute Norwich attack and was needed three times in the first half. Could do little to stop Norwich’s opener bar curse the players in front of him. Excellent save from Rashica and his highly motivated Norwich side on 56. AP -
Diogo Dalot 6 - Stretched to try and direct a 17th minute cross towards goal. Wonderful third man run and cross to Lingard on 31. Beaten in the run up to Norwich’s goal. Key block from Rashica on 70. Beaten by balls and made recoveries but needs to improve. Getty -
Victor Lindelof 6 - Right position at right time to stop a 35th minute Norwich attack. But individual moments paled when compared with the collective mistakes and lack of strategy for his team. AFP -
Harry Maguire 5 - Came out too far to leave a space behind him for Norwich’s opening goal. At 91 minutes in, his side needed to keep possession – he kicked it too high out of play so Norwich got it back. PA -
Alex Telles 4 - Beaten by a ball to set up Pukki in the second minute. Crossed for Ronaldo head the second on 31. Not alert enough for Dowell’s goal and chasing the ball for Pukki’s second. Poor positioning. Getty -
Paul Pogba 7 - Single holding midfielder in a deeper role than usual. Intercepted well, took the ball out of the air and nutmegged an opponent. Ear blooded by Maguire’s boot. PA -
Bruno Fernandes 5 - Busy as ever but gave the ball away too much. Won a high ball to stop a 44th minute Norwich attack. Still not the force he was, but then nor are his team. AFP -
Jesse Lingard 7 - Rare start and positive combination with Sancho and saw a ninth minute shot deflected wide. Stumbled in front of goal as the ball came to him on 40. Stretched to snuff out another Norwich attack on 43. Smart backheel to Ronaldo on 46. Disappointed to come off, but his team needed more protection. Getty -
Jadon Sancho 6 - Lively start on right of a front three, but he often switched to go left. Shot wide on 22. Linked well with Lingard. PA -
Anthony Elanga 7 - On left of front three and won the ball superbly to set up Ronaldo for the opener on 7. Lovely strike on 50 and some decent defending. Getty -
Cristiano Ronaldo 9 - Side-footed a gift of a chance for the opening goal on seven minutes. Attacked the ball and headed in the second on 31. Attempted an overhead kick on 39. Sidefooted wide after 46 then scored his 50th hat-trick - a beautiful free-kick - of his career to win the game on 76. EPA -
SUBS: Nemanja Matic 7 - On for Lingard to steady the side, which he did. Reuters -
Juan Mata 7 - On for Telles on 73. He should become a sneak thief when he stops playing. He gets into spaces that don't exist. Controlled the tempo, showed his experience. Getty -
Marcus Rashford 5 - On for Pogba on 73. Lively but ineffective. Reuters -
NORWICH RATINGS: Tim Krul 5 – Three goals conceded but the goalkeeper had too much to deal with at Old Trafford, with Ralf Rangnick's side firing regular shots. Couldn't keep out Cristiano Ronaldo's free-kick that completed his hat-trick. Getty -
Dimitris Giannoulis 6 – The full-back was dangerous when getting forward and came agonisingly close to picking up an assist, his cross inches away from Teemu Pukki's diving attempt to head home. AFP -
Ben Gibson 4 – Struggled with the presence of Ronaldo in a display that the defender would rather put behind him as soon as possible. Not good enough with costly errors marking an all-round disappointing performance. AP -
Grant Hanley 7 – A strong display often saw him stop United attacks. The Scotland international was Dean Smith's side's best player in defence, reading the play quickly to redirect dangerous balls in the box. Getty -
Sam Byram 6 – Had a chance to score at the far post but couldn't keep his header down. Put in a good display against Jadon Sancho. AFP -
Kenny McLean 6 – A difficult task in midfielde saw him have to deal with United's late flurry, but he often kept his cool in the middle and maintained possession for the Canaries. AFP -
Mathias Normann 5 – Struggled to make an impact in a difficult midfield battle against Bruno Fernandes and Paul Pogba. EPA -
Milot Rashica 5 – Tried to play direct when on the ball but it didn't always come off. Ralf Rangnick's side looked to have recognised his threat and made a plan to ensure he wasn't as effective on the counter-attack. AFP -
Pierre Lees-Melou 5 – Asked questions of the defence with his deliveries but could have done better to take care of the ball at times. Looked to have picked up a slight knock. PA -
Kieran Dowell 8 – Played with freedom and his persistence was rewarded as he scored before applying the perfect touch on the pass for Teemu Pukki's equaliser. EPA -
Teemu Pukki 8 – A 10th goal of the season for the Finland international. Smart movement saw him slowly drift away from the Manchester United defence before he accelerated to finish at David De Gea's near post. Getty -
SUBS: Billy Gilmour (McLean 73) – Introduced to add energy into the Norwich midfield and was impressive on the ball, helping transition play into attacking areas. An incisive pass put Rashica through late but the forward couldn't create anything from it. Reuters -
Przemyslaw Placheta (Dowell 73) – Looked to support the attack with forward runs. Jon Rowe (Lees-Melou, 82) – On for the final minutes. Getty
On a more upbeat note for United, Ronaldo's goals took him to 20 goals in all competitions this season – 12 more goals than any of his teammates.
It is the 16th season in a row that Ronaldo, 37, has scored 20 or more club goals in all competitions and moved him on to 99 career Premier League goals.
However, there are doubts Ronaldo will see out the final year of his contract next season after a season of turmoil and disappointment back at the club.
Rangnick says a decision on Ronaldo's future will be made by his permanent successor, with Ajax manager Erik ten Hag reportedly set to be appointed within days.
“In the end, this is not my decision,” said Rangnick, who will stay on at Old Trafford as an adviser.
“Cristiano has another year on his contract. This will be a decision for the new manager to take together with the board.
“But he showed against Tottenham and today that he can be the difference-maker in games like this.
“It is no coincidence he has the best goalscoring record of all players in history.”
Manchester City 2 Liverpool 3: FA Cup player ratings
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MANCHESTER CITY RATINGS: Zack Steffen 2 - The American made a gruesome error that put the game out of City’s reach at 2-0. He also should have done better at the near post for Liverpool’s third. PA -
Joao Cancelo 5 - The Portuguese was nowhere near his top form. Diaz kept him occupied and he was unable to get forward in the way he did in last week’s league game. AP -
John Stones 6 - The 27-year-old was solid during the periods when his team-mates were being over-run. He will think twice about passing the ball back to Steffan in future, though the goalkeeper's error was not his fault. EPA -
Nathan Ake 6 - The 27-year-old could not compete with a charging Konate for the opening goal. He managed Salah reasonably well. AFP -
Oleksandr Zinchenko 5 - The Ukrainian seemed to be on top of Salah until he attempted to head a shin-high ball and gave the striker a late chance. His passing was poor. AP -
Fernandinho 5 - The Brazilian could not cope with Thiago and Keita. At 36, he is now a step too slow against opposition like Liverpool. AP -
Bernardo Silva 6 - The Portuguese sat too deep to make the impact City needed. When he did get forward, he scored the stoppage-time goal that gave his side a chance. AFP -
Jack Grealish 5 - The 26-year-old took his goal well but drifted out of the game for long periods. It was a disappointing display and he was unable to generate any momentum. AP -
Gabriel Jesus 4 - The Brazilian was shrugged off by Konate too easily before the first goal. He missed a golden chance to make it 3-2 with 20 minutes to go and was replaced by Mahrez 13 minutes later. AP -
Phil Foden 4 - The 21-year-old was missing in action. When he did get on the ball, he was crowded out and marginalised. AP -
Raheem Sterling 4 - The former Liverpool man had a deeply disappointing day. He barely threatened his former club. EPA -
SUB: Riyad Mahrez 6 - The Algerian replaced Jesus with seven minutes to go. He got past Robertson and crossed to Silva, whose goal made the scoreline look respectable. EPA -
LIVERPOOL RATINGS: Alisson Becker 7 - The Brazilian took a number of chances when passing out from the back but got away with them. His save from Jesus late in the game was crucial to the victory. EPA -
Trent Alexander-Arnold 7 - The 23-year-old played a huge part in blunting City’s attack by keeping Foden on a tight rein. He still looked to get forward and was involved in the third goal. EPA -
Ibrahima Konate 8 - A strong performance by the Frenchman, who thumped another header into the net. He sometimes looks clumsy but his pace and composure surprised City. EPA -
Virgil van Dijk 6 - The Dutchman was not quite himself and wasted possession. His organisational skills were valuable, though, and he was vocal throughout. PA -
Andrew Robertson 6 - The Scot gave the ball away before City’s opening goal and he lost Mahrez for their second. On the plus side, his tackling was sharp and he worked the line effectively. AP -
Fabinho 7 - The Brazilian helped to control the midfield in the first half and ensured City’s build-up was interrupted after the break. A solid effort. PA -
Thiago Alcantara 8 - The 31-year-old was up for the battle and snapped into challenges. His chipped pass to Mane for the third goal was the finest example of his classy passing. He was replaced by Jones with three minutes to go. AP -
Naby Keita 8 - The Guinean’s mobility was crucial in the midfield and his pressing meant City could not settle. He worked hard until he was withdrawn for Henderson in the 73rd minute. EPA -
Mohamed Salah 6 - The Egyptian laboured in the Wembley sun but his mere presence unnerved the defence. He desperately needs a goal and nearly got one after a Zinchenko error. PA -
Sadio Mane 9 - The defining moment of the game came when the Senegalese harried Steffan and humiliated the goalkeeper by scoring. His second goal was a splendid volley. He left the pitch for Jota with five minutes to go to rapturous applause. PA -
Luis Diaz 8 - The Colombian kept Cancelo busy and showed off his close control and intelligent running. City were relieved when he went off with five minutes to go and was replaced by Firmino. AP -
SUBS: Jordan Henderson 6 - The 31-year-old came on for Keita in the 73rd minute to help close down the game. He was steady, even during the frantic final moments. PA -
Diogo Jota 6 - The Portuguese was introduced at Mane’s expense with five minutes to go. He responded to the challenge by putting pressure on the defenders. PA -
Roberto Firmino 6 - The Brazilian replaced Diaz with five minutes left. His fresh legs provided an injection of energy. Action Images -
Curtis Jones 6 - The 21-year-old joined the action with three minutes left in place of Thiago. He immediately hunted out possession and ran at the defence. AP
