Manchester United 2-0 West Brom: Player Ratings
After ending their goalscoring drought midweek against CSKA Moscow, Manchester United ended their run of draws in the English top-flight with a comfortable 2-0 win against West Brom at Old Trafford.
With the away side sitting deep for majority of the game, chances were at a premium for United despite their lion’s share of possession.
Jesse Lingard stole the show with a well taken finish from outside the box to give the Reds their deserved opener while West Brom never looked to threaten and apart from a late Saido Berahino chance. David De Gea was more of a spectator than a player and Juan Mata wrapped up the points with an injury time penalty after Anthony Martial was hauled down by Gareth McAuley, which resulted in the Baggies man being given his marching orders.
Below are the Player Ratings in what was a confident display by the Reds at home:
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Starting Eleven:
6. Dealt ably with any aerial balls put into his box but apart from that, the Spaniard had nothing of note to do the entire game and couldn’t have asked for an easier night on his 25th Birthday.. GK. Manchester United. DAVID DE GEA
Continued his run at right back in the side but did not find much luck offensively this time around. Distribution was poor and was unable to get slip past his markers. Did not have much to do defensively, which makes his attacking contributions all the more disappointing. Subbed off after the first goal, which capped a bad day at the office for the versatile Englishman.. RB. Manchester United. ASHLEY YOUNG. 5.5
7.5. Kept Rondon quiet and looked comfortable while dealing with the remote moments when the Baggies ventured into the United half. Keeps putting in colossal performances at the back and even the most accomplished strikers would hate to face Smalling in the form he is in. Fans must be wishing that Van Gaal changed his name to ‘Mike’ earlier.. CB. Manchester United. CHRIS SMALLING
Manchester United. DALEY BLIND. 7. Played alongside Smalling in defence and did not have much to do with West Brom barely looking to muster up an attack. Showed his good positioning to snuff out most balls played around him and recycled possession effectively from deep to kickstart United attacks.. CB
6.5. Dealt with Sessegnon effectively, completely nullifying the Beninese’s threat on the left. Unlike Young, made some bright attacking ventures with his movement and link-up play with Lingard a constant problem for the Baggies throughout the contest.. LB. Manchester United. MARCOS ROJO
7. Was able to play the game at his pace with West Brom allowing him the freedom of the pitch to run the show. Resultantly, pulled the strings for United and his direct balls forward are a huge asset to this side. Always looked to thread the ball through to a United attacker but could not break through the rugged ranks of the away side.. CM. Manchester United. MICHAEL CARRICK
7. Alongside Carrick, he was allowed to stroll around the centre of the park with West Brom offering no resistance, enabling the German to dictate play comfortably. However, Schweinsteiger was guilty of not taking enough of a risk with his passing, which was essential against a team looking to shut up shop.. CM. Manchester United. BASTIAN SCHWEINSTEIGER
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Manchester United. JUAN MATA. 6. The Spaniard struggles to thrive against teams sitting with two banks of four and similarly, found no reward against a dogged opposition. Never got the space or time with the ball to impact the game as he would have liked. Wrapped up the game for the Reds with his cheeky penalty down the middle in injury time.. RM
6. The United captain was deployed just behind Martial in the role he seems most suited to at this stage. Played some neat balls in and around the final third but the Englishman’s spark seems to have deserted him. The nadir in his pitiful run of form was the thunderous applause that rung out around Old Trafford when he was substituted. Van Gaal’s decision to stick or twist with his captain could be the biggest decision of the Dutchman’s tenure at United.. CAM. Manchester United. WAYNE ROONEY
8. Continued his rich vein of form and constantly ran at defenders from the get-go. To see a youngster with this level of confidence is a pleasant sight. He deserved his first United goal with a remarkable effort from outside the box, comprehensively beating Myhill and nesting in the bottom right corner. Has moved ahead of Memphis Depay in the pecking order and if he continues to deliver performances like these, it will be a while before we see the Dutchman back in the side. Not that any United supporter would be complaining.. LM. Manchester United. JESSE LINGARD
Spearheaded United’s attack but was starved off service. Despite feeding off scraps, the young Parisien always looked to make things happen around the Baggies goal. Made a few chances for himself with some wonderful bits of skill, testing Myhill’s reflexes with a fine attempt at goal. Definitely United’s most dangerous attacker with defenders petrified of him every time he gets on the ball.. FWD. Manchester United. ANTHONY MARTIAL. 7
Next: Van Gaal praises Manchester United's patience in win
Substitutes:
PHIL JONES. 6. Put in a decent shift at right back after replacing Young and looked more assured than his English teammate. Puzzling that he didn’t start the game given the impressive form the Englishman has been in since his return to the side from injury.. RB. Manchester United
LB. Manchester United. CAMERON BORTHWICK-JACKSON. 6. Special moment for the youngster who came on for his first-team debut. Slotted in at left back and wasn’t troubled by a meek West Brom attack.
Replaced Rooney in the final 10 minutes and had little time to make an impact on the game. His lack of game time is adding to the growing discontent for Van Gaal at the moment.. CM. Manchester United. ANDER HERRERA. 6