Full Time: Sunderland 0-3 Manchester United
Manchester United were back to winning ways this weekend as their trip to the Stadium of Light yielded all three points, in what was a comfortable victory over David Moyes’ side. Though they had a few first team players missing, the Red Devils managed to put three past a Sunderland side that went down to 10 men, thanks to a reckless moment from Sebastian Larsson who was sent off.
United took full advantage of the struggling side as Zlatan Ibrahimović, Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Marcus Rashford gave them a comfortable victory in the end. This win takes United closer to a place in the top-4 but they need to be consistent for the rest of the campaign to have a shot at qualification for the UCL next season. Here’s how the Manchester United players performed against Sunderland.
Manchester United Player Ratings:
Sergio Romero (6)
Replaced the injured David de Gea and was hardly tested during the game, as he helped himself to a clean sheet.
Matteo Darmian (6)
Used in a more familiar role, Darmian put in a decent shift defensively as he made sure that Sunderland did not build any attacks from his flank.
Eric Bailly (8)
Slowly growing in confidence, Bailly put in a strong performance as he never gave Defoe a chance and helped his side keep a clean sheet.
Marcos Rojo (7)
Put in a consistent performance yet again but Rojo was not tested enough as United played out a comfortable game against a struggling Sunderland.
Luke Shaw (7)
Took a blow to his ankle that ended his game early but Shaw put in a super performance on the flank, picking up the assist for Mkhitaryan’s goal.
Ander Herrera (7)
Did extremely well to reduce the pressure on the back four as he dictated the game in the midfield for his side all game long.
Paul Pogba (6)
Still not playing at his best, Pogba was a handful for Sunderland to handle but Mourinho will expect more from him in the next few games.
Marouane Fellaini (6)
The surprise skipper for the side, Fellaini helped Manchester United win the midfield battle as he stood tall and helped Manchester United to a victory.
Henrikh Mkhitaryan (7)
Though he is not yet back to his best, Mkhitaryan had a superb second half where he tortured the Sunderland defence after picking up a goal which doubled United’s lead.
Jesse Lingard (7)
Was influential off the ball, as his movement created a number of problems for the Black Cats. However, he was not effective with the ball at his feet in front of goal.
Zlatan Ibrahimović (7)
He once again showed why he is the master. Produced a moment of sheer brilliance which broke the deadlock. Grabbed an assist for Rashford’s goal, which eventually turned out to be the final goal of the game.
Subs:
Daley Blind (6)
Came in for the injured Shaw, with half an hour to play and helped United hold on to the lead till the end of the game.
Marcus Rashford (7)
A smart run and a decent finish saw him get on the score sheet late in the game as a just reward for some smart play off the bench.
Anthony Martial (6)
Came in with just over 10 minutes to play and should have got himself on the scoresheet, when he missed a decent chance to score.