Manchester United 0 – 3 Everton – Player Ratings

By Keegan Anderson | Apr 26, 2015

Manchester United struggled as a whole against Everton resulting in a rather convincing 3 – 0 defeat.

It was their second consecutive loss after losing last week against Chelsea despite dominating the possession once again. In general, the players struggled individually and as part of the team.

David de Gea (6/10)

Despite United conceding three goals, most of the blame should be on the defense. De Gea could do little to stop the Everton players, though he could have perhaps come out to claim the ball more often. Some fans have claimed the Spaniard’s head is in Madrid, but I think it was just the result of a poor performance from the defense.

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Antonio Valencia (4/10)

Valencia probably had the worst performance out of the United players, with two of the goals conceded firmly on his shoulders. Everton’s second goal came as a result of the Ecuadorian losing his mark; the third was a result of not playing until the whistle. Both were big mental mistakes from the makeshift right back which makes sense, given he’s a natural winger.

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Chris Smalling (6/10)

Smalling for me was the best of the defenders, though that’s hardly saying anything. He was caught out of position a couple of times but thankfully it didn’t lead to any more goals. The partnership with McNair proved to be a work in progress as the two struggled to contain Everton’s attacking options.

Paddy McNair (5/10)

Following his best performance for United, McNair put forth one of his worst. A poor challenge on McCarthy gave way to the first goal just minutes into the match. He looked timid in defense and struggled to contain the opposition, but you’d expect that from a young defender under such pressure. However, he showed his foot skills going forward yet again, so there will still be hope regarding his development.

Luke Shaw (7/10)

For me, Shaw was one of the few bright spots in the defeat. He looked good in defense, particularly with a goal saving tackle as the Toffees looked to counter. Going forward, he showed his pace and ability in linking up with Young on the left. I would have liked to see more of that, as that looked to be where United’s best chances would come. The young back showed his promise after putting forth a good second consecutive showing.

Daley Blind (5/10)

After coming back to fitness to fill in at CDM for the injured Michael Carrick, Blind struggled mightily. Unlike Carrick, he failed to provide many creative passes or to give cover for the defense. The Dutchman was partially responsible for Everton’s first goal, as he failed to slow down McCarthy. It was an uncharacteristically poor performance for Blind, who has been decent for the large part of the season.

Juan Mata (6/10)

Mata struggled to have an impact on the game, as Leighton Baines limited his contribution mainly to unanswered crosses. He seemed to be out muscled by the Everton defenders, as you’d expect given his size. I will say I was slightly more impressed by his tracking back than I expected, but it wasn’t enough to help Valencia.

Ander Herrera (6/10)

It would have been interesting to see how Herrera fared in the holding midfield role, as Blind struggled. Still, the Spaniard didn’t get to put his trademark on the match, as Everton was strong defensively in blocking most of United’s attempts on goal. The partnership with Fellaini just wasn’t working.

Marouane Fellaini (4/10)

The big midfielder was poor against his former club, eventually being substituted at half time. He received a yellow card early on and looked near certain to be sent off if not substituted, as he made several rash challenges against his ex-teammates. Perhaps it was too much mentally for the Belgian to handle as the return to Goodison proved too big a stage.

Ashley Young (5/10)

It was an average performance from the left winger who has been one of United’s best this season. He had a couple of good link-ups with Shaw on the left side but other than that didn’t get too involved in the match. Seamus Coleman had Young under control for most of the game, both defensively and offensively.

Wayne Rooney (5/10)

Rooney looked frustrated for much of the match, as Phil Jagielka kept him under wraps and the midfielders weren’t giving their best. Going into the match, I thought Rooney would benefit from playing at striker with Blind returning, but it wasn’t so. To make matters worse, he left the match late in the game with an apparent injury.

Substitutes:

Radamel Falcao (5/10)

The Colombian came on at the half in place of Fellaini to add an attacking option as the Red Devils were already down 2-0. However, he was ineffective yet again, with his best chance coming off of an audacious header that Tim Howard saved easily. I really hoped he’d shine as the substitute, but yet again nothing seemed to be working for the once great striker.

Angel di Maria (6/10)

Di Maria immediately had an impact on the game after replacing Mata, but it was too little too late. United looked to be a bigger threat with the Argentine making runs down the wing and whipping in crosses, but Everton either cleared the cross or blocked the eventual chance.

Robin van Persie (N/A)

The Dutchman came on for Rooney late because of injury so he wasn’t able to make have any influence on the game.

Next: Gundogan on his way to United?

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