Manchester United Player Ratings
Jose Mourinho’s Manchester United failed to keep up the pressure up on Liverpool, who are at 4th place as they were held to a stalemate by Tony Pulis’ West Bromwich Albion at the Old Trafford this weekend. The Red Devils were without the likes of Pogba, Mata, Smalling, Jones, Herrera and Zlatan as Mourinho had to settle for a young front line in Lingard, Martial and Rashford. There was plenty of industry and excitement in this attack but the Baggies were up to the task and though they failed to breach United’s goal, they managed to keep a clean sheet and held on to a point, denting United’s chances of a top-4 finish. There were a number of under-performing players on the pitch and here’s how we rate the Manchester United players for this game:
Ratings:
David De Gea (6)
Was hardly tested, as West Brom came up with just a handful of attacks that hardly worked the Manchester United defence.
Antonio Valencia (6)
Put in a number of dangerous crosses from the flank but United did not have players ready to gamble and get to the end of those crosses.
Eric Bailly (7)
Probably United’s best player on the night, Bailly snuffed every West Brom attack out early as he marshaled the back line and earned his team a point.
Marcos Rojo (6)
Looked comfortable alongside Bailly as he put in a solid performance at the back. Though he made a couple of rash challenges, he helped his side a clean sheet.
Ashley Young (6)
Was not tested enough defensively but Young failed to put in decent crosses consistently and wasted possession on a number of occasions.
Marouane Fellaini (6)
Came close to scoring and put in a decent shift in the midfield. He was a constant presence for United at both ends of the field.
Michael Carrick (4)
Failed miserably to control the tempo of the game as United struggled to get a foot hold in the middle of the field, which in turn affected their chances in front of goal. It looked like his time might just be up at the Old Trafford.
Henrikh Mkhitaryan (4)
Was an awful performance from the winger who had a great chance to show what he is capable of against a West Brom side that was happy to sit back and defend all game.
Jesse Lingard (6)
Surprisingly, United’s best player in the final third. Lingard created a number of chances as he troubled the West Brom defence, almost giving his side all three points from this tie.
Anthony Martial (4)
Was hardly effective from the flank. Martial shifted positions during the game but did not have the desired effect for his side in front of goal.
Marcus Rashford (5)
Came close twice but only to be denied by Foster. He has to put in a better shift if he wants to lead the attack for Manchester United in the future.
Subs:
Wayne Rooney (5)
One of the very options for Mourinho, Rooney failed to have any kind of an impact on the game.