Manchester United were held to a combative 1-1 draw at Villa Park on Saturday as a Falcao header canceled out Christian Benteke’s early strike. Louis van Gaal’ men dominated possession after conceding an early goal and could well have leveled the scores early in the second half when Robin van Persie was played in by Wayne Rooney. But the equalizer finally came from their new acquisition Falcao, who rescued a vital point for the side from Old Trafford.
Let’s take a look at the player ratings from last night and see how the United players fared.
David De Gea – 6
No chance with the early Benteke strike but made a fantastic save from the Belgiun’s header in the second half.
Antonio Valencia – 6
A willing runner all day, Antonio Valencia was an outlet for so many of Wayne Rooney’s diagonal cross-field balls. But couldn’t get the better of Cissokho on many occasions.
Jones – 7
Sloppy in possession at times but put his body on the line to produce crucial blocks when it mattered.
Carrick – 7
Assured in defence in the first half. Took control of midfield in the second. Top, top player.
Evans – 7
Snuffed out an Agbonlahor run in the first half, but was outsmarted by Christian Benteke for Villa’s early goal. Had a decent game overall.
Ashley Young – 8
The booing did little to distract or disturb the former Villa man as he kept plugging away down the left flank before putting in a world class ball for Falcao to head home.
Darren Fletcher – 5.5
Failed to drive United from his deeper position. Far too safe in possession.
Juan Mata – 6
Found himself in pockets of space but failed to play in that telling final ball. Had more of an influence in the second half as the game became stretched.
Wayne Rooney – 6
Ronney supplied a beautiful ball to find Robin van Persie at the turn of the half time, but the Dutchman failed to convert. Not one of his best performances, but it wasn’t for the lack of effort.
Robin van Persie – 6
Missed a golden opportunity early in the second half and had a peripheral influence for most stages.
Falcao – 7
The Columbian poacher took his only chance of the match as he pounced onto an inviting Ashley Young delivery to equalize for United. They don’t call him a beast in the box for nothing.