“Without Cristiano Ronaldo, for United it wouldn’t have been a good night” – Conte aims cheeky dig at Manchester United despite Spurs defeat

Tottenham Hotspur manager Antonio Conte has hailed Manchester United star Cristiano Ronaldo's performance against his side on Saturday despite Spurs' 3-2 defeat.

After the loss, the former Juventus manager couldn’t help but aim a subtle dig at the Red Devils during his post-game interview. He told Sky Sports:

"Without Cristiano Ronaldo, for United it wouldn't have been a good night."

In a statement to BBC Sport, Conte noted that Manchester United would've struggled to even secure a draw without Ronaldo:

"You are talking about a player who is always decisive and has been in his career. Tonight he showed what type of player he is."

"Without Cristiano Ronaldo for Manchester United it would have been difficult not just to win but also to draw the game."

Conte certainly has a point. The Red Devils were completely reliant on Ronaldo's prowess to snatch a win from their north London visitors.

The Portuguese superstar bagged a fantastic hat-trick to hand Manchester United all three points and keep them in fourth place as the season heads towards its final stretch.

However, the Red Devils will face stiff competition for fourth place from the rest of the chasing pack, particularly Arsenal. The Gunners currently occupy fifth place in the standings, two points behind Ralf Rangnick's side, with four games in hand.

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Cristiano Ronaldo scores 807 goals with hat-trick for Manchester United

Manchester United secured a 3-2 win over Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday night thanks to Ronaldo's record-breaking hat-trick

Following his sensational hat-trick against Tottenham Hotspur, Cristiano Ronaldo has taken possession of the record for the most professional goals scored in association football.

The 37-year-old has now taken his personal goal tally to 807 and has surpassed the previous record-holder, Josef Bican, who was on 805 goals. The Manchester United star's 807 strikes have all come in elite competitions and are beyond scrutiny.

The record is still contested, with the Czech FA insisting that Bican scored 821 goals over his career. However, Ronaldo is unlikely to stop at 807 and will have the 822-goal mark in his sights.

Brazilian strikers Pele and Romario also claim to have over 1000 goals each to their names, but a chunk of those goals came in amateur and friendly matches.