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Manchester United
David de Gea : 6/10 : A routine show from the Spaniard. Had nothing much to do except for a couple of easy saves and few corners. Got his ankle injured during the match in a collision with Michu but just continuued.
Phil Jones : 6/10 – He looked totally out of sorts in the beginning of the game, wasting possession, making rash tackles and losing out on 1on1s. But as the game progressed he improved his stability and defended well.
Rio Ferdinand : 6/10 – Age seems to be catching up really fast with him. In the first half, he was easily outpaced by Routledge and was caught unaware in possession. But he seemed to get back on his feet in the second half even though he was partly responsible for the goal conceded. He is a liability in big games.
Nemanja Vidic : 7/10 – A very good performance by the captain who was at his usual best commanding the team, organizing the defence and taking on the forward. He was the only one who could match Mcihu’s physical and Aerial prowess. Thus he kept Michu quiet for most of the game.
Patrice Evra: 7/10 - The defensive part of his game was usual where he was beaten by his marker a few times and gave away fouls. But his attacking was impressive. He was very good going forward and supported the attack ably on the left as the wingers started to drift more centrally.
Michael Carrick : 7.5/10 – The routine calm and composed performance from Michael Carrick at the heart of the midfield. He was comfortable in possession, won the ball a few times and never gave the ball away. Even though his passing wasn’t impeccable, it was very good and rarely missed the target. He was the mainstay of the team.
Tom Cleverly : 7.5/10 : An industrious performance from the youngster. He was all over the pitch, always wanting the ball and increased the pace of the game. His defensive contribution was very good too. Looked very comfortable playing alongside Carrick.
Antonio Valencia: 7.5/10 : The change of shirt certainly seemed to have an effect on his performance. Rather than staying on the touchlines, he drifted into the center and linked up well with Welbeck and Van Persie. He earned himself an assist after controlling Evra’s cross and crossing it into Welbeck. He tracked back well and seems to have improved his aerial ability as he won many of his headers against Davies.
Ryan Giggs : 7/10 – A good performance from Ryan Giggs but wasn’t very effective. He slowed the pace of the game and drifted into the center as the game progressed. He did have some nice touches on the ball but failed to create an impact on the game. Substituted for Wayne Rooney in the 61st minute.
Danny Welbeck : 8.5/10 – An inspired performance from the youngster. Looked like he carried on from where he left against Scotland and scored two goals. His first goal was an easy tap in scored immediately after Robin Van Persie fired home in the 35th minute. Was full of energy throughout the match; ready to take on players. Got into some very good positions and finished the game with a cheeky chip over Michael Vorm in stoppage time after Rooney put him through on goal.
Robin Van Persie : 9/10 – There seems to be no stopping this man. A brace in the first two games this season and who knows what’s coming up. He played with finesse and class. The first can be called ‘ a standing bicycle kick’ which he did with his right foot. The second was one from outside the box where he outfoxed the defender before unleashing a shot into the roof of the net. He was United’s best performer of the night. Substituted for Anderson in the 82nd minuted
Subs
Wayne Rooney : 7/10 – He finally made an appearance for United after all these rumours. A 30-minute cameo in which he earned two assists even though he didn’t look at the top of his game. Came in the 61st minute for Ryan Giggs and played the final 10 minutes in his favoured striker role as Van Persie was substituted for Anderson.
Anderson : N/A – he played for just 10 minutes behind Rooney and couldn’t do much as they were trying to kill the game by retaining possession.
