‘Decisive’ - Antonio Conte’s Cristiano Ronaldo verdict ahead of Man Utd v Tottenham

Tottenham manager Antonio Conte says his team lost to Cristiano Ronaldo and urged his players to have that in mind when they take to the pitch at Old Trafford on Wednesday evening in the Premier League.

The Portuguese super star grabbed a hat-trick when the two teams met last March in the league and even though Harry Kane scored from the spot and a Harry Maguire own-goal kept Spurs in the game, Ronaldo’s influence was ultimately the difference.

Things have changed so much since then though with Ronaldo not a guaranteed starter at Manchester United and only got his first Premier League goal of the campaign against Everton.

Spurs though are enjoying their best ever start to a Premier League campaign and come into the match at the back of a three game winning streak while United could only manage a draw against Newcastle United.

Asked about the game last season and how he was going to ensure they get better results this time around, the Italian manager said the only player that made the difference was Cristiano Ronaldo.

Tottenham manager Antonio Conte said: “Last season, Ronaldo was decisive, he scored three goals and after the game, I said we lost against Cristiano, not United.

“I think we played much better than them, and to lose the game... but to have a good performance at Old Trafford is important for your confidence, your trust, and on Wednesday we need another good performance against a strong team, in a difficult environment like Old Trafford.

“We want to play a good game and we want to play with personality and we want to show first of all ourselves that we are improving.

“We want to show that our level is growing and then I repeat we want to give satisfaction to our fans.”