Ralf Rangnick sends warning to Man Utd fans who booed Paul Pogba

Following defeats for rivals

and

Tottenham

,

's hat-trick at Old Trafford enhanced United's hopes of a top-four finish, but the result obscured another disappointing performance, and the home fans were not hesitant to express their displeasure.

, whose contract with United expires at the end of the season, returned to the starting lineup but struggled to make an impact against the Premier League's bottom team, and was replaced by

Juan Mata

in the 74th minute, with the score at 2-2. The United midfielder was then booed as he walked off the field, cupping his ears to a particularly important corner as he walked down the tunnel at full-time.

Despite admitting that he did not hear the boos from a section of disgruntled supporters, Rangnick insists that he does not agree with their actions. "To be honest, I didn't hear it,"

Ralf Rangnick

admitted. However, my staff and I were discussing it in my locker room office. I truly believe the fans here are incredible. The atmosphere at the stadium today was fantastic, and it couldn't have been better. I understand if the fans are dissatisfied and disappointed; we are, too. As far as I'm aware, everything has been peaceful throughout.

"I don't believe it makes sense to single out and attack any one person or group of people because this is a common obligation. It doesn't make sense to me, even if you delve into the past, which is why I will always defend and protect my players. We didn't do a good job of defending. We should have defended both scores much better, and David de Gea's amazing save kept us in the game.

"Winning the game was crucial overall, but the way we played defensively after going up 2-0 was insufficient. It's all about physicality and ferocity. We had the ball at our feet on the sideline before the first goal, but if you aren't physical enough in such situations to guard the ball, you may lose the ball in certain locations, and they had a free header in our own box within seconds.

"It's pointless to look at and be interested in other people's results; we need to focus on our own." We got the result today, but we need to improve our whole performance against

Liverpool

on Tuesday, as well as away at Arsenal and at home against Chelsea." Ronaldo has now scored 60 hat-tricks in his professional career and has 21 goals in all competitions for United this season.

"He was essential today, just like he was against Tottenham," Rangnick continued. "The second and third goals were not easy goals, but the way he handled them was simply brilliant."

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