Manchester United 3-1 Club Brugge: Player Ratings
Manchester United moved a step closer to the group stages of the Champions League after convincingly beating Club Brugge 3-1 in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League Qualifier.
Two great strikes from Memphis Depay and a header from Marouane Fellaini were enough to give the Red Devils a strong advantage heading into the second leg and they will look to close the show before taking on the big guns.
It was a good performance under the lights with many players excelling at Old Trafford. Below are the player ratings for United’s XI and substitutes last night with Depay taking all the plaudits.
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6. Didn’t have much to do throughout the game with his kicking fairly adequate. However, the Argentine nearly gifted Brugge a goal after making a mess of a Matteo Darmian backpass. GK. Manchester United. SERGIO ROMERO
6. The Italian didn’t shine as brightly as his first two games for the club but was solid in defence and looked eager to get down his flank. Booked for a late foul on Diaby and a shaky backpass to Romero had a few supporters with their heads in hands.. RB. Manchester United. MATTEO DARMIAN
8. Smalling continued his incredible start to the season with another dominating display against Brugge. The 25 year-old used his strength to constantly regain possession and the Englishman’s positioning was also excellent. Slowly growing into a commanding defender. CB. Manchester United. CHRIS SMALLING
7. Another assured display by the Dutchman in the heart of United’s defence. Blind snuffed out several attacks with relative ease and is forming a good partnership with Smalling. Played a fantastic pass in the build-up to United’s second goal which saw the Red Devils take the lead.. CB. Manchester United. DALEY BLIND
Manchester United. LUKE SHAW. 8. Shaw’s first appearance in the Champions League and the Englishman didn’t let it faze him. Effectively dealt with any threats down his side and used his frightening pace to contribute to several United attacks. The left-back is beginning to link up well with Memphis.. LB
6.5. The Frenchman put in a solid shift on his Champions League debut and protected his defence fairly well while receiving plenty of the ball. Didn’t have as big an impact as he would have hoped.. CM. Manchester United. MORGAN SCHNEIDERLIN
6. Inadvertently kicked the ball into his own net in the opening 10 minutes after attempting to block a Brugge free-kick. Wasn’t able to regain his composure after that with some misplaced passes gifting possession to his Belgian opponents. Found Memphis for the first goal with an impressive pass. Subbed off for Schweinsteiger at half-time.. CM. Manchester United. MICHAEL CARRICK
Started the game extremely well and showcased his silky footwork to skip past several challenges. Constantly opened up space for his teammates with some clever runs. Faded badly in the second half and was replaced by Javier Hernandez.. CAM. Manchester United. ADNAN JANUZAJ. 6
The Spaniard was less influential than his usual self but nevertheless constantly moved around looking to probe an opening for United. Always looked to drift inside from the right hand side and had more influence from a central position. Provides the creative spark to this United side on a good day.. RW. Manchester United. JUAN MATA. 6.5
9.5. What a way to grab your first Manchester United goals. The Dutchman lit up Old Trafford with two stunning goals and a fabulous assist for Fellaini to hand United a comfortable advantage in the tie. Took on opponents at every opportunity and looked dangerous every time he got the ball. Fantastic performance and easily the Man of the Match.. LW. Manchester United. MEMPHIS DEPAY
WAYNE ROONEY. 5.5. His disappointing start to the season continued despite sings of improvement in this performance. Linked up well with his fellow attackers with a clever back heel to put Memphis in on one occasion. The United captain dropped deep to create chances however, had no real influence in the 18 yard area. Worryingly, seems a better fit for the support striker role. Replaced by Fellaini in the closing stages of the game.. ST. Manchester United
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Substitutes:
The German came on for Carrick at half-time and immediately helped United in controlling the game. Looked a tad short of match fitness but should be starting soon with a commanding display in the middle of the park.. CM. Manchester United. BASTIAN SCHWEINSTEIGER. 6.5
JAVIER HERNANDEZ. 6. Came off the bench to mark his return to United after his loan spell at Real Madrid. Received a warm reception by the Old Trafford crowd and buzzed with energy throughout his cameo appearance.. ST. Manchester United
7. The big Belgian played his first competitive minutes for United this season after coming on for Rooney in the dying embers of the game. Added an aerial presence to the United side and in typical Felliani fashion, he slotted home a header in what was virtually the last moment of the game.. CAM. Manchester United. MAROUANE FELLAINI