Manchester United player ratings from their 5-1 win against Cardiff City

There has been a lot going on lately at Old Trafford with Jose Mourinho getting sacked and Ole Gunnar Solskjær appointed as the interim manager till the end of the season. The Red Devils needed points to move closer to the top four while Cardiff wanted to walk further away from the relegation zone. The game was important to both the teams for two different reasons.

It was a dream start to Solsjkaer's reign as Manchester United were ahead within the first three minutes of the game. The Red Devils had more of the ball, and it looked like a matter of time before the away side would double their lead. Finally, at the half-hour mark, Herrera scored from a long range to make it 0-2 to United.

Against the run of play, Cardiff pulled one back through Camarasa's penalty after Rashford handled the ball in the penalty box. However, the two-goal lead got restored immediately after some brilliant link-up play was finished intricately by Antony Martial.

Manchester United rewarded with a penalty at the start of the second half which Lingard confidently slotted past the Cardiff goalkeeper. United had few half chances on the way to increase their lead until Lingard made it five at the closing stages of the game.

It was a five-star performance from Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side. Here are the ratings of Manchester United players.

De Gea - 7/10

David didn't have many saves to make in the game. In the first half, he had to face a penalty while in the second, the Spaniard made a good low save to deny Josh Murphy. It was overall a pretty comfortable game for David De Gea.

Young - 6.5 / 10

Ashley Young was always available in the flanks and even looked solid in stopping Cardiff creating anything from the left side. He was sensible in his decision making as well.

Lindelof - 7/10

The Swede has been United's best defender this season and was again strong today both aerially and with his feet. Lindelof was seen moving forward a couple of times to join in the attack. His positioning without the ball was commendable as well.

Jones - 6.5/10

Phil Jones was short in confidence after the blunder against Valencia. However, today his distribution was good and kept things simple. He had to deal with Paterson up front, and Phil was steady against the big center forward.

Shaw - 6.5 / 10

England left-back had another good game under his belt. Shaw marauded forward at regular intervals and even tracked back when necessary to keep the Cardiff right winger in check.

Matic - 7/10

With the home team sitting deep, it allowed Matic to dictate the play from the midfield. The Serbian's distribution and interceptions were immaculate. Against the physical prowess of the home side, Nemanja stood his ground and thwarted any attack from Neil Warnock's men.

Herrera - 7/10

Ander was lively throughout the game. He also scored United's second goal of the day after a deflected shot looped over Etheridge and dipped into the back of the net.

Pogba - 8/10

Paul Pogba looked a completely different player than he has been throughout the season. He provided the assist for Herrera's goal and also played a crucial part in United's third and fourth goal as well. The Frenchman didn't score for all his efforts but was a constant threat for the opposition's defense.

Martial - 8/10

Antony made the left wing his own as he kept Bruno quiet for most parts of the match. However, the Frenchman's most significant contribution was scoring United's third goal resulting from some beautiful link-up play between him, Lingard and Pogba.

Lingard - 8.5/10

Jesse was involved in the link up for United's third goal and also earned a penalty in the second half to score the Red Devils' fourth of the day. Towards the fag end of the match, Lingard scored his second and United's fifth, to sum up, a glorious day at the office.

Rashford - 8/10

The England International worked tirelessly until his substitution in the second half. Rashford opened the scoring with a delightfully taken free-kick and always looked to move the ball forward at any opportunity. However, he was guilty to concede the penalty for Cardiff's only goal of the match.

Substitutes -

Fred - 5/10

The Brazilian replaced Marcus Rashford late in the second half. Apart from one misplaced pass, Fred looked active and made a couple of positive forward movements as well.

Fellaini and Perreira - 5/10

Both of them came very late in the game and didn't get enough time to make an impact.