Player Ratings: Manchester United vs Arsenal

Manchester United’s hopes of finishing third were crushed as they endured a draw against Arsenal at Old Trafford on Sunday afternoon in their penultimate game of the season.

United dominated possession in the first half and they were rewarded for their dominance as Ander Herrera slotted in a beautiful volley to give United the lead against the Gunners.

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Arsenal came back into the game in the second half and created more chances than Louis van Gaal’s side who looked like they were tiring. It did take long for Arsenal to equalise and they were fortunate to do so despite playing well with a deflection from Tyler Blackett helping Theo Walcott’s cross into the net.

So with that all but but wrapping up proceedings at Old Trafford for another season, we look at how the players fared under the sun.

David De Gea ( 7/10)

The Spaniard probably played his last game for Manchester United and went out on a high. He was solid as usual and collected the ball very well from the set-pieces and made a crucial one-on-one save from Oliver Giroud in the second half. He launched a couple of counter attacks with his distribution but sadly it came to an end with a hamstring injury.

Marcos Rojo (6/10)

Rojo came back into the lineup replacing injured Luke Shaw after missing out recently due to injury.The Argentine was solid defensively as he dealt with the threat of Aaron Ramsey. He made a crucial clearance when Ramsey got the better of De Gea in the second half. He didn’t contribute well in the attacking front and his linkup with Ashley Young was questionable at times.

Chris Smalling (8/10)

Captain for the day. He lead the defence well and was defensively solid. The England international kept Giroud quiet the whole day and proved why he got a new contract. His passing was impressive and he came close to scoring when his header was saved by David Ospina in second half. Composed performance.

Phil Jones ( 6/10)

The Englishmen had a mixed game.He was shaky in defence early on and could have cost United a goal when a miscommunication took place between him and De Gea in first half. But he grew into the game and made a crucial diving header to deny Giroud a clearcut chance. He was good while playing ball from the deep.

Antonio Valencia (7/10)

Valencia enjoyed a fair amount of freedom on the right flank. As Mata was playing more centrally he got more space to go forward and most of the time got the better of Nacho Monreal. Defensively he was solid as he kept Alexis Sanchez quiet.

Daley Blind (7/10)

Ran the show for United in the holding midfield position. He kept the play ticking with clever passes and made intelligent interceptions. He slotted well in between the two centrebacks while defending deep.He came close to scoring with a well worked freekick only for his teamates Smalling and Rojo to block it while going into the net.

Ander Herrera ( 8/10)

The Spaniard did what he does best. Winning most tackles on the pitch, showing some wonderful skills and contributing well in attack. Scored a beautiful volley off Ashley Young’s cross in the first half and was always on the move.

Maraoune Fellaini (7/10)

Another effective performance by the big Belgian. He rattled Francis Coquelin and contributed well in the attack with his ability to control the ball. He linked up well with Young on the left flank and played an important role in the goal too.

Juan Mata (7/10)

Mata produced another good performance. The former Chelsea man played some delicious passes from the centre to create chances for his team and his defensive work was also up to the mark.

Ashley Young (9/10)

Another man of the match performance from the Englishman. He troubled Bellerin with his pace and trickery and grabbed an assist with a delightful ball into the box. He tracked back well and put in some crunching tackles to win the ball back for his team. Excellent performance.

Radamel Falcao (6/10)

Another player who could have played his last game for United. Another frustrating outing for the Colombian. Made some decent runs but couldn’t finish those chances. Tried hard but eventually substituted at 60 minutes and waved bye it seemed to the fans.

Substitutes

Robin Van Persie (6/10)

The dutchman didn’t influence much in the second half. Was anonymous but came close to scoring when Young squared to him before his effort went sailing over the bar from 10 yard out.

Tyler Blackett (6/10)

He came on for Rojo and always looked vulnerable at left-back. He’s young but still has to learn. Blackett lost the ball often and Walcott troubled him with his pace. Finally an own goal summed up his disastrous cameo.

Victor Valdes (N/A)

Finally made his debut since signing in January. The former Barcelona keeper was good while collecting the ball and was unfortunately not able to extend United’s cleansheet due to a deflected shot.

Next: Match report: Man Utd 1-1 Arsenal

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