Manchester United stormed to a fourth consecutive league win after a dogged display saw them defeat Stoke 2-1 at Old Trafford.
Goals from Marouane Fellaini and Juan Mata either side of a fine Steven N’Zonzi goal gave Manchester United the 3 points and puts them just one point behind Southampton who face Arsenal tomorrow and United themselves next Monday.
There were some excellent performances all around the team but who was the best?
DAVID DE GEA (8/10)
Dave had nothing to do for the majority of the game but he came up with the good right at the end to literally win United the game. He could do nothing to deny N’Zonzi Stoke’s equaliser but he made a world class save to deny ex-Red Mame Biram Diouf in the dying minutes. He made another incredible save moments later to deny Stephen Ireland from point blank range and for that alone he’s proved he deserves a new contract.
ANTONIO VALENCIA (6/10)
Valencia had another decent game at right-back but it was more evident this evening that he is not a natural defender. While he was strong in the tackle and kept the line of the defence well, he struggled against Bojan whenever the Spanish forward ran at him with the ball. He wasn’t as great an attacking outlet as he was against Hull but he did okay considering it’s not his position.
CHRIS SMALLING (7/10)
A dominant performance from the England center-back. The former Fulham man controlled the defensive line well with great leadership skills and was fairly comfortable on the ball, driving out from the back. He had an effort well blocked to deny a goal that would have made it 2-1 but overall it was probably Smalling’s best performance of the season so far.
MARCOS ROJO (7/10)
I had my doubts about Rojo being signed as a central defender in the summer but so far he’s proving me wrong. The Argentine was very good once again, coming tight to close down the strikers. He seems to have struck up a good partnership with Chris Smalling and is trying to claim the winning goal for himself although it’s likely to go down as a Juan Mata goal.
ASHLEY YOUNG (8/10)
Left winger-cum-left back Ashley Young was absolutely brilliant tonight, showing that he may have a future at Old Trafford after all. Young recaptured his form from pre-season to keep Stoke’s right hand side quiet and also offered a good attacking threat. He overlapped Ander Herrera consistently and caused Stoke lots of problems, often getting himself into the penalty area. Also won the game for Manchester United with a goal-line clearance in the 93rd minute after David De Gea’s second wonder save.
MICHAEL CARRICK (7/10)
Another fantastic display from Michael Carrick shows the ability this man has. His composure on the ball and phenomenal positioning mean he’s always an option while his defensive instincts ensure that the team is solid. His return to the side has coincided with a run of victories and that is in no way a coincidence. Another fine performance, Daley Blind will have trouble getting back into the side at this rate.
MAROUANE FELLAINI (8/10)
The big Belgian’s startling return to form continued as the midfielder grabbed a goal and dominated the middle of the park against a physical Stoke side. Fellaini used his physical frame to win all the battles in midfield as well as grabbing the opening goal. He won headers all day long and his passing was decent throughout. Although he collapsed prior to Stoke’s goal, overall it was another impressive performance.
ANDER HERRERA (7/10)
Angel Di Maria missed the game through a hamstring injury picked up against Hull, Herrera stepped in and delivered yet again. The Spanish midfielder retained the ball well and made it all tick for United throughout. A wonderful cross for Fellaini created the opening goal while he often won the ball back high up the pitch and launched counter attacks. A good all-round performance.
JUAN MATA (8/10)
There’s only Juan Mata! The attacking midfielder played at the tip of the diamond and was excellent once again in all the attacking phases of United’s play. He created chances and kept the ball well, while his delivery from set-pieces all night caused problems against a big Stoke side. This showed even more so when his cross missed everyone (including Rojo) to nestle in the far corner for the winning goal.
ROBIN VAN PERSIE (6/10)
Van Persie was asked to do a different job to normal this evening and he did it fairly well. In the absence of Wayne Rooney, van Persie’s job was to drop deeper and link the midfield to the attack. He was quieter than usual but he contributed well. An okay performance but he’ll need to up it once Falcao is 100% fit.
JAMES WILSON (7/10)
Wilson was given the nod in place of injured captain Wayne Rooney after recovering from the weekend’s illness. The occasion, just his second ever Premier League start, seemed to get to him in the first half as he was quiet and often bullied off the ball. However in the second half he used his pace to great effect to run in behind the Stoke defence and dribble past defenders. He should have scored after a great bit of work saw him run from the half-way line and beat three defenders but he put it wide when one on one with Begovic. A decent performance overall from the youngster, proving he’s worthy of his place in the first team squad.