Manchester United 3-1 Newcastle: Player Ratings

Manchester United eased to their seventh win in 8 games with a comfortable 3-1 win over Newcastle United at Old Trafford on Boxing Day.

Louis Van Gaal’s named a side that was largely expected, with no returns for any injured parties. Paddy McNair started in place of Darren Fletcher, with Michael Carrick moving into midfield and the rest of the side was unchanged meaning Wayne Rooney continued in his midfield role while Robin van Persie partnered Radamel Falcao up front in the 3-5-2 system.

Plenty of players performed to a high standard and the result showed that United are finally in their groove, with this result taking them to just one defeat in their last thirteen Premier League games under Louis Van Gaal.

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David De Gea (6/10)

The Spaniard had next to nothing to do today, although United looked a bit shaky in the first half to Newcastle’s counter-attack. Ayoze Perez gave the Reds something to think about with his pace but De Gea never really had to stop him from scoring but the former Atletico Madrid stopper did make one phenomenal save to deny Dutch full-back Daryl Janmaat in the second half.

Phil Jones (6/10)

The 22 year-old defender finally looks to be maturing into a Manchester United central defender after returning from his most recent injury problem. The England man looked assured in possession and moved forward with the ball well to create space for the midfielders. He’s been the best defensive performer this season for Van Gaal and if he can stay fit he could become a leading figure at Old Trafford for a long time. Gave away the penalty for Newcastle’s late goal with a clumsy tackle, but overall a good display.

Paddy McNair (6/10)

Young Paddy was making his first start since being hauled off mid-way through the first half during the win against Southampton, when Van Gaal said he had “no confidence”. He’s since made a brief substitute appearance against Liverpool but he looked back to his old self today. An imposing figure when defending, he won his aerial duels well and was decent in possession. McNair looked much more comfortable in the middle of the back three and his confidence will surely be returning now following that performance.

Jonny Evans (6/10)

One name on the teamsheet that often leads to nerves is Evans’ following performances this season but the Northern-Irishman’s performance today was far from bad. He did well on the ball and covered well down the left flank whenever Ashley Young bombed forward. He struggled in the first half with Perez’s pace but once the Reds went 1-0 up his personal performance was much better and the side had a solid base to build off.

Antonio Valencia (7/10)

Another solid display from the make-shift wing-back. The Ecuadorian has made this position his own in recent weeks and after Van Gaal’s admission pre-game that he feels ‘obliged’ to use wing-backs at the moment, his place in the team is secure. Bombing up and down the flank for the entirety of his time on the pitch, Valencia provided width and pace to the side. Another very good performance from him which makes it even harder for the returning Rafael, who replaced Valencia late on, to get back into the team.

Ashley Young (8/10)

The turn-around of this man’s Manchester United career is nothing short of a Christmas miracle so far. The former Watford and Aston Villa man’s future at the club looked bleak in the summer following a string of disappointing seasons, but Young has reinvented himself under Louis Van Gaal and is shining as a left wing-back. His pace and crossing ability was evident today as he caused havoc for the Newcastle defence and it was probably his best performance in a United shirt to date.

Michael Carrick (7/10)

The England man was named as “England’s best central midfielder” this week by former manager Sir Alex Ferguson and he showed exactly why once again today. Moved back into his preferred midfield role, Carrick dominated the ball with his passing range and helped to stomp out any Newcastle attacks with his positioning ability and terrific interception skills. He was key in handing Manchester United dominance in the center of the pitch, which in turn led to a staggering 62% possession for the afternoon.

Juan Mata (8/10)

The little Spaniard did the business yet again at Old Trafford. Mata is often criticised for struggling to make an impact away from home but when he plays this well in the Theatre of Dreams it’s hard to drop him when the side goes on their travels. Mata was superb yet again, playing just in front of a midfield duo consisting of Michael Carrick and Wayne Rooney. His creativity is on another level and he seems to have formed a good partnership with Robin van Persie and Radamel Falcao, which will only equal goals for Manchester United.

Wayne Rooney (9/10)

A man of the match performance from the Manchester United captain. Rooney grabbed two goals and a stunning assist from his deeper midfield role and looks comfortable dominating games. His energy is unrivalled and his passing range has been likened to the legendary Paul Scholes and he’s now showing he can score goals from that position too, just like his former teammate. Rooney completed 90 minutes today and was comfortably the best player on the pitch, proving once again how important he is to Louis Van Gaal’s side.

Robin van Persie (7/10)

van Persie is back in the groove for his club after a super slow start to the season. The Dutch striker got his name on the score-sheet for the eighth time this season with a fine header from a wonderful Rooney cross and his partnership with Falcao is beginning to blossom. van Persie completed the whole game which suggests he could be rested for Sunday’s trip to White Hart Lane but if he’s called upon he is bang in form to cause some damage on his return to North London.

Radamel Falcao (7/10)

The Colombian retained his place in Louis Van Gaal’s starting line-up following a goalscoring return last week and he kept up the good performance today. Falcao made some excellent runs and showed why his movement is better than anyone elses in the business, which helped him grab an assist for the opening goal. He could have probably gone for goal but instead chose to square the ball for Rooney to tap into an empty net and if he can stay fit he is showing that he still has all the tools to fire Manchester United to glory.