Full Time: Manchester United 4-0 West Ham United
Manchester United made a big statement on their opening day of the 2017/18 Premier League season, hammering West Ham United 4-0 at Old Trafford earlier in the day.
United bossed the possession in the first-half, but couldn’t find a way through, much like most of last season, until Marcus Rashford sent Romelu Lukaku through. The big Belgian thumped a left-footed shot off the post and into the net to make it 1-0.
The summer signing made it 2-0 with a great header in the second period, before substitute Anthony Martial finished with great finesse late in the game to make it three. Paul Pogba then added the icing on the cake with a driving strike in the added minute, to send Jose Mourinho’s side to the top of the Premier League standings.
Let’s take a look as to how the United players fared on the day:
Manchester United Player Ratings
David De Gea – 6/10
Firm stop to deny Edimilson Fernandes on the cusp of half-time. Had absolutely nothing to do after that.
Antonio Valencia – 7/10
Full of energy and exuberance. Offered great drive down the right-hand side and was never caught out defensively either. Booked for a foul on Marko Arnautovic.
Eric Bailly – 7/10
Booked for an unnecessary foul on Chicharito in the first-half. But apart from that, he looked very comfortable, with West Ham never really threatening.
Phil Jones – 7/10
Solid as a rock. Dealt with everything that came his way with great ease. Never really allowed Javier Hernandez to get into dangerous positions.
Daley Blind – 7/10
Got forward well down the left-hand side, decent crosses and corners. Almost got on the scoresheet in the second period. Encouraging performance.
Nemanja Matic – 9/10
Absolutely majestic in the middle of the park. Broke up the Hammers building up all day long and recycled the ball really well. Crucial for the first and the fourth goals.
Paul Pogba – 8/10
Ran the show. Driving runs from the midfield, some neat skills and exciting footwork. Capped the performance off with a well-taken goal.
Henrikh Mkhitaryan – 7.5/10
Always a danger when on the ball, threading balls in behind the defence. Great delivery for Lukaku’s second goal and a nice little through ball for Martial’s strike.
Juan Mata – 7/10
Should have scored in the first-half, but instead, tried to tee up Lukaku and wasted the opportunity. Buzzed around the box and offered a great guile in the final third.
Marcus Rashford – 8/10
His slaloming runs down the left flank were a major feature. Put Lukaku through on goal for the opener. Had a curling effort cruelly bounce out off the inside of the post.
Romelu Lukaku – 9/10
Fluffed a half-chance early on, but when the first real opportunity came his way, he made no mistake. Headed in from a free-kick to make it 2-0. Looked extremely sharp, a debut to remember.
Substitutes
Marouane Fellaini – 6/10
Replaced Mata and added numbers to the midfield.
Anthony Martial – 8/10
Replaced Rashford and carried on from where he left off. Displayed great composure and calmness for his goal and then set Pogba up for the final one.
Jesse Lingard – NA
Replaced Mkhitaryan in the closing stages.
Comments are closed.