In their second home match of the 2016/17 UEFA Europa League, Manchester United came up with a clinical performance as they outclassed Turkish club, Fenerbahce 4-1 on Thursday night. Wayne Rooney made his first start after having missed out of the playing XI in the previous four games.
After an ordinary first half hour, the Red Devils scored three of their four goals in the last 15 minutes of the first half, turning the match towards their favour. Jose Mourinho will be happy with the performance of his players, especially his £89 million signing, Paul Pogba, who scored two goals.
Robin van Persie's return to his former ‘home’ did not go as well as he would have hoped for, despite him getting on the scoresheet. With the group stages halfway through now, Man United are joint leaders of Group A, along with Feyenoord, and will hope that this performance helps finish the group on top.
Also Read: UEFA Europa League 2016-17: Twitter reacts as Manchester United demolish Fenerbahce 4-1
Here are the ratings of all the players based on their performances:
Manchester United
David de Gea (Goalkeeper): 7/10
The Man United keeper did not have to do much throughout the match, however, de Gea did make a few crucial saves in order to keep his side on top. The Spaniard will have wanted a clean sheet, but he failed to keep out Robin van Persie's consolation goal.
Matteo Darmian: 7/10
The Italian full-back made his first start for the Red Devils in more than a month and put in a decent shift at right-back. Unlike Antonio Valencia, Darmian isn't much of an attacking player, however, he performed his defensive duties well enough.
Eric Bailly: 7/10
The Ivorian has been one of the best performers for Man United since signing for the club. He continued his consistent displays as he controlled things at the back and took up the defensive leadership after Chris Smalling was substituted.
Chris Smalling: 6.5/10
The defender was taken off by Mourinho at half-time as a precaution due to injury. Smalling put in a good effort at centre-back and kept the Fenerbahce forwards at bay.
Luke Shaw: 7.5/10
His first full match after recovering from an injury, Shaw put in an assured display at left-back. Although his attacking prowess did not seem like usual, Shaw was used as a constant outlet on the left wing, allowing Martial to move towards the centre.
Michael Carrick: 7/10
Although Carrick, at times, seemed out of pace, he made up for in composure in the midfield. His tendency to drop deep between the centre-backs allowed his midfield partner, Pogba to push higher up the pitch and be more involved in the attack.
Paul Pogba: 9/10
Possibly Man United's best performer on the night as he notched up two goals to his name. The first goal was a perfect penalty while the second one was a top quality striker from outside the penalty box.
The Frenchman showed a glimpse of why he was the most expensive transfer in the world as he displayed a varied array of passing. He was taken off in the 75th minute to a much-deserved applause from the Old Trafford faithful.
Jesse Lingard: 8/10
Lingard had a very good game as he had a goal and an assist to his name in the 66 minutes he played. The Englishman set Pogba up for his second goal and scored Man United's fourth goal with an unstoppable strike from outside the box early in the second half.
Juan Mata: 8/10
The Spaniard was involved in the build-up to both the penalties. He won the first penalty after collecting a Carrick pass with a sublime touch and for the second penalty, he sent Anthony Martial clean through on goal before the Frenchman was fouled in the penalty box. Mata revelled in the free role and was able to find himself in good positions most of the time.
Anthony Martial: 7.5/10
Although he had a quiet start to the game, Martial grew into the game and drew the foul from Sener Ozbayrakli that earned Man United their second penalty and goal of the night. Martial then stepped up to double Man United's lead, finishing with aplomb from the spot.
Wayne Rooney: 7.5/10
It seems like having been left out of the playing XI for the previous four games helped the Man United captain as he looked sharper than he did earlier in the season. His awareness was vital in the build-up to Pogba's second goal. Rooney also got an assist to his name as he laid off a first-time pass to Lingard for Man United's fourth goal.
Substitutes:
Marcos Rojo: 6.5/10
The Argentine came on in the second half for the injured Smalling. Rojo, along with Bailly, held the fort for Man United at the back and kept Fenerbahce forwards in check until van Persie's 83rd-minute goal.
Memphis Depay: 6/10
Memphis replaces Lingard after 65 minutes and was lively. But, as has always been the complaint with the Dutchman, he failed to come up with the final ball on a few occasions.
Timothy Fosu-Mensah: 6.5/10
Although the 18-year-old played for only 15 minutes, Fosu-Mensah did well in the defensive midfield role he was assigned after replacing Pogba. He displayed his versatility and electric pace a few times as he tracked back to defend for his side.
Fenerbahce
Volkan Demirel (Goalkeeper): 5/10
The Fenerbahce skipper had a nightmare in goal as he let in four goals on the night. Though some of the strikes were unstoppable, Demirel was able to make only one save throughout the match.
Sener Ozbayrakli: 5.5/10
Ozbaraykli conceded the second penalty after fouling Martial, who was through on goal. The right-back had a better second half as he constantly tried to provide service down the right flank.
Simon Kjaer: 4/10
The Danish defender was at fault for the first Man United penalty as he brought down Mata in the box. Being constantly hassled by the Man United attackers, Kjaer was also shown a yellow card in the first half and was taken off at half-time in what was a tactical substitution.
Martin Skrtel: 6.5/10
Skrtel was one of the better players for the visitors as he did his best to keep the Man United attackers away. He made some crucial tackles and also won a few aerial battles for his side.
Hasan Ali Kaldirim: 6/10
The left-back did not have a particularly good game as he failed to make any tackles during the game. Kaldirim's lack of awareness allowed Rooney to run past him and lead to the third goal for Man United.
Mehmet Topal: 6/10
The midfielder was not able to influence the game much and failed to create a lot of impact for his side. However, he did make some tackles and put in an average defensive display.
Roman Neustadter: 6.5/10
The Russian defender played the first half as a defensive midfielder. After Kjaer was taken off, Neustadter dropped back to play as a centre-back and put in a decent performance there.
Josef de Souza: 6.5/10
Souza was another bright spark for Fenerbahce as he showed a willingness to attack, even from a defensive midfield position. He created a good chance for himself in the first half that de Gea saved well.
Alper Potuk: 6.5/10
Potuk was the most lively player that Fenerbahce had. With his skills and trickery, the winger was a constant threat to the Man United full-backs. Despite being able to dribble past the United defence, his final delivery let his team down on quite a few occasions.
Robin van Persie: 7/10
The former Man United's return to Old Trafford ended in an eventful manner for the Dutchman, on a personal note. Although his 83rd-minute finish was only a consolation, he had a good second half as Emmanuel Emenike's presence up front freed up van Persie.
Volkan Sen: 5/10
The attacking midfielder was not very effective as he failed to provide the required service to van Persie. His set pieces were not good enough to cause trouble to the Man United defenders.
Substitutes:
Emmanuel Emenike: 6.5/10
Despite coming on as a half-time substitute, the Nigerian forward was quite involved and tried to bring van Persie into play more. Emenike got the assist for van Persie's after a good low cross from the left.
Ismail Koybasi: 5.5/10
Koybasi was on the pitch only for the last 20 minutes and came on for the ineffective Volkan Sen. The 27-year-old had one headed attempt after coming on and failed to hit the target.
