Man Utd 4 Hull 3

Headed by Ronaldo...........

CRISTIANO RONALDO celebrated with a huge grin as his double saw off Hull. The Portuguese star had been criticised for his moody performances for Manchester United this season. But he followed up his two goals in midweek with another brace - and he showed the world he is enjoying his football again with a beaming smile that lit up Old Trafford.

Hull looked doomed as they trailed 4-1. But they gave the champions a real scare by scoring twice to set up a frenzied finale. And that United boss Alex Ferguson feeling depressed. Fergie said: "I feel a bit low. We should have won by 10 or 11 and we ended up scrambling for a victory. "We might have been embarrassed at the end. "Cristiano Ronaldo could have had four or five on his own and I don't know how many chances Dimitar Berbatov created. "I suppose the only thing to take out of it, apart from the win, is the fact we are creating so many opportunities for ourselves." Ferguson blasted referee Mike Dean for failing to send off the already-booked Michael Turner for a second-half foul on Michael Carrick. He said: "It should have been at least a yellow card, in which case the player would have been sent off." It looked like being a long afternoon for Hull when Ronaldo struck after just three minutes. He exchanged passes with Dimitar Berbatov and ghosted into the area before finding the net off the inside of the left-hand post.

Wayne Rooney, searching for his 100th club goal, flashed a shot just over from the edge of the area as United continued to dominate. Hull got back into it on 23 minutes when Nemanja Vidic conceded a free-kick near the touchline. Andy Dawson whipped in the ball and Daniel Cousin got in front of Patrice Evra to nod home. But United were back in front six minutes later after a quick counter-attack. Vidic and Rooney combined to find Berbatov and the Bulgarian striker slipped in Michael Carrick. The England midfielder found plenty of space and he cracked home in off the same post that Ronaldo did for his first. Hull keeper Boaz Myhill kept out Ronaldo's stinging drive, Nani drove over before Rooney saw his goal disallowed. The England striker then headed over before Ronaldo nodded home Nani's corner to make it 3-1. Berbatov whistled one wide as United started the second half well and Ronaldo found the side-netting soon after. And Vidic made it four on 57 minutes as he steered home Rooney's corner.

Carlos Tevez screwed a shot wide but, amazingly, Hull were the ones who scored as Bernard Mendy outjumped Evra, then beat Edwin Van der Sar with a lob which had crossed the line before Vidic hooked it out. Superb play from Berbatov and Tevez allowed Ronaldo to push a pass to Rooney. The striker let fly with a powerful shot but Myhill stood firm and beat it away. United were playing fantasy football but when Rio Ferdinand hauled back Mendy and Geovanni converted the penalty, they were suddenly in a precarious position once more. Rooney, who was losing his head, was booked for a foul on Dawson, as was Mendy when he slid in on Evra and Tevez when he chopped George Boateng down from behind. But United held on to move third in the table.

Hull chief Phil Brown said: "It's mixed emotions. We can take a lot of pride from the game but nothing else. That is disappointing when you consider we scored three times. "I was not happy at half-time but we got in their faces a lot more in the second half and really battled hard. "In some ways, I have more belief in this team than they have in themselves. "But I feel we have proved we are capable of competing at this level. Hopefully it continues for a long time yet."

Man Utd: Van der Sar, Neville, Ferdinand, Vidic, Evra, Ronaldo, Carrick (Giggs 72), Anderson (O'Shea 88), Nani (Tevez 64), Berbatov, Rooney. Subs Not Used: Foster, Park, Rafael Da Silva, Fletcher. Booked: Rooney, Tevez.

Hull: Myhill, McShane, Turner, Zayatte, Dawson, Marney, Hughes (Mendy 59), Boateng (Folan 86), Geovanni, King (Halmosi 63), Cousin. Subs Not Used: Duke, Barmby, Garcia, Ricketts. Booked: Turner, Mendy.

Att: 75,398 (Old Trafford)

Taken from The Sun (UK)