CSKA Moscow 1-4 Manchester United: Player Ratings

Manchester United

David De Gea - 8/10

De Gea was largely untroubled yet resolute when called into action in the first half. A sleepy defence let his clean sheet slip away but apart from that, the Spaniard was impeccable.

Ashley Young - 8/10

A well-balanced performance for the captain of the day. His forward plays were constructive to the attacks and on the defensive front, he was barely called into action.

Eric Bailly - 7/10

After defending resolutely for 89 minutes, which included some beautifully well-timed tackles and incessant man-tracking, Bailly fell asleep for the opposition to score the consolation.

Victor Lindelof - 8/10

Lindelof seemed to be much more capable on his two feet after another start. He could block the all too infrequent shots and was largely decent in the changed 3-man defence. Couldn't complain much from the big Swede.

Chris Smalling - 7/10

At the heart of the 3 man defence, Smalling played a relatively chill game, barely ever being called into action. But when he was, his blocking was solid and he was able to pressurize the opposition attackers into making frequent mistakes, though questions may be asked about his off the ball placement.

Daley Blind capped off an all-round performance in Russia

Daley Blind - 7/10

Blind had a stellar game at left wingback roke, thoroughly enjoying the forward attacking license given to him. His link up with Martial and Matic was a joy to watch and more often than not, he tracked back and prevented Moscow from breaking out from his side.

Ander Herrera - 8/10

Herrera's constant movement was a delight to watch, helping United rotate the ball with poise and precision. His through balls were magnificent, kick-starting his side's attacks and also breaking up opposition play at will.

Nemanja Matic - 8/10

Matic stopped a lot of initial opposition attacks with his impeccable interceptions. What went unnoticed and was unparalleled was his down-channel passing, with one pass nearly setting up Damian much later in the match which should've amounted to more. As the Serb continues to grow stronger in the role, his importance to the team solidifies even further.

Henrik Mkhitaryan - 8/10

Mkhitaryan's link up play was devastating and his movement untraceable, earning his team a penalty early on. His presence of mind to get to the ball after it was parried by Igor, allowed him to slot in the 4th goal for his side. Wrapped up a decent performance at the hour mark to loud cheers from the visitors' section.

Anthony Martial wrecking the CSKA Moscow defence with a magical display

Anthony Martial - 9/10

Martial set up Lukaku twice in the first half-an-hour with two equally lovely crosses, with a penalty goal dispatched, tugged between his two assists. Even keeping statistics aside, the Frenchman's dribbling was drool-worthy and was the very definition of a nightmare for the opposition. No rest for the wicked seemed to be his tagline for the day, as he neatly carved apart the Russian defence with ease throughout the game.

Romelu Lukaku celebrates with class after dispatching his second of the night

Romelu Lukaku - 9/10

With an absolute peach of a pass to Martial and then with the subsequent finish, Lukaku opened up the scoring with a great header in less than 5 minutes. He quickly followed it up by an easy tap-in and then went on to play a tough next 60 minutes, somehow unable to secure his hattrick with a plethora of wasted chances. The prolific Belgium rued his luck as the 3rd goal eluded him, even though he played a near-perfect striker game.

SUBSTITUTES

Jesse Lingard - 7/10

Lingard came on and an almost scored with his first involvement but was denied by a great stop from the goalkeeper. He was continuously involved in attacks but most of them fizzled out, even as United romped to a 4-goal lead.

Matteo Darmian - 7/10

Darmian was brought on to provide stability at back to keep United on cruising mode. His intelligent run down the right nearly got him a good goal, but apart from that he couldn't get involved in the game that much.

Marcus Rashford - 6/10

Came on around 70th minute to revitalize the pace down the left for United. He was fouled occasionally and was able to get into good spaces, Rashford couldn't leave a lasting impression on the game.