Manchester United thrashed FC Midtjylland 5-1 at Old Trafford to reach the last-16 in the Europa League. Teenager Marcus Rashford scored twice on his debut and a man-of-the-match performance from Memphis Depay helped United progress. Rashford started due to an injury to Anthony Martial in the warm-up and his confidence showed a player beyond his years.
Midtjylland led 2-1 from the first leg and Pione Sisto increased their advantage in the first-half. United were staring at an early exit until Nikolay Bodurov’s own goal reduced the deficit, Juan Mata had a penalty well-saved before Rashford scored his first goal for United in front of the Stretford End with a great finish from a Mata cutback.
Rashford struck again to make it 3-1 with an excellent volley before Ander Herrera sealed United’s place in the next round from the penalty spot after Hansen handled the ball. Midtjylland finished with 10 men after Andre Romer was sent off for a second yellow card. Memphis put in his best performance in a United shirt and he capped it off with an excellent long-range goal. Here we will rate the performances of the United players.
Sergio Romero – 7/10
Romero will be disappointed to have conceded in the first half but he commanded his area well and apart from the goal, he wasn’t often tested.
Guillermo Varela 7.5/10
Varela enjoyed some excellent runs in the Midtjylland half and caused trouble throughout the game. He got a brilliant assist for Rashford’s second goal and he looks to be getting better and better each game.
Michael Carrick – 7/10
The captain was a make-shift centre-back for the night due to Chris Smalling’s injury and he put in a decent performance. His passing accuracy was brilliant once again but he well disappointed with Midtjylland’s goal.
Daley Blind – 7/10
The Dutchman was comfortable on the ball and his passing accuracy was one of the best in the game. He will also be disappointed with Midtjylland scoring.
Joe Riley – 7.5/10
Making his first start for United, Riley had a good performance. He spent a lot of the time in the opposition’s half and wasn’t often tested defensively.
Morgan Schneiderlin – 7/10
Schneiderlin missed two good chances to score but he was solid in midfield for United.
Ander Herrera 7.5/10
Herrera was clever in position and helped to dictate play. The Midtjylland defence couldn’t handle him and he scored a brilliant penalty to finish off the game for United.
Jesse Lingard 6.5/10
Lingard made some decent crosses but didn’t have much of an impact on the game. He was booked for diving when trying to win a penalty in the second half.
Juan Mata – 7.5/10
Mata missed a penalty in the first-half but he showed character in the second-half and assisted Rashford’s first goal with a great cutback. He found some great pockets of space and Midtjylland struggled to contain him.
Memphis Depay – 9/10
Memphis put in his best performance since joining United. The winger turned on the style and caused Midtjylland all kinds of problems. His brilliant wing play caused Midtjylland to score the own goal and he won the penalty which finished off the game. He capped off his man-of-the-match performance with a wonderful goal from outside the box and United will be hoping the Dutchman will continue this form into the Arsenal game at the weekend.
Marcus Rashford – 8.5/10
Rashford had the debut United fans dream of. He started due to Anthony Martial’s injury in the warm-up and took his chance perfectly. The Manchester-born player beamed with confidence in the second-half and scored two brilliant goals on the volley.