Manchester United Player Ratings: Defensive stalemate ends 0-0 against Liverpool
A classic parking of the Manchester United bus, and Jose Mourinho was the driver. Manchester United and Liverpool played to a scoreless draw away at Anfield. Sure the result wasn’t exciting, but Jose will be happy sharing the points.
Liverpool dominated the chance creation department, but thankfully for Manchester United they have David De Gea between the sticks. The Spaniard once again showed why he is arguably the best goalkeeper on the planet.
Manchester United had their chances too, most notably in the first half when Romelu Lukaku squandered a one on one opportunity.
As the clock wound down, United sat deeper and deeper. Liverpool won’t like taking one point, but for United, one point can be huge when mounting a title challenge.
Player Ratings
GK David de Gea, 9 — Easily Manchester United’s player of the match. #DaveSaves could be seen all over twitter. Another performance where he saved United and showed his class on a big stage.
DF Antonio Valencia, 6 — Got forward well, per typical. Solid defensive outing, but wasn’t dynamic in the final third.
DF Phil Jones, 6 — A shaky outing from one of United’s standout performers of the season so far.
DF Chris Smalling, 6 — Renewed his partnership wit his fellow compatriot. Was fortunate that Liverpool weren’t more clinical today.
DF Matteo Darmian, 6 — A very mediocre performance. Like the rest of the defense, Darmian was very fortunate that Mo Sallah wasn’t more clincal.
MF Ander Herrera, 6.5 — United 2016/17 Player of the Year had a riveting start to the match, diving into each tackle. His influence was lost as the match wained on.
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MF Nemanja Matic, 6 — Matic and Herrera is a midfield partnership United fans won’t be itching to see again. Their similar, cautious play style left room for Liverpool to flood the midfield.
MF Henrikh Mkhitaryan, 5.5 — Quiet afternoon for the Armenian magician. Was lost in the midfield and couldn’t leave his mark.
FW Ashley Young, 5 — Definitely the surprise inclusion in the side. Young got forward well, but his days at winger are limited. Much more effective as a full back.
FW Romelu Lukaku, 5 — Lukaku was a pleasant welcome to the side after his injury scare with Belgium, however, he couldn’t find space or service to impact the game. His best chance he wasted.
FW Anthony Martial, 5 — You could tell what Mourinho’s plan was from the beginning of the match. Instead of staying forward, Martial was tracking all the way back to help in defense.
Substitutes
MF Jesse Lingard, 5 — Brought on for Mkhi in the 63′ Lingard provided a much needed spark. If only the rest of his teammates showed the same energy.
FW Marcus Rashford, 5 — Brought on for the ineffective Martial. The team was sitting too deep for him to work his magic yet again.
DF Victor Lindelof, NR — The Swede made his Premier League debut as he came on for Young in injury time. Brought on to waste time and see the game out.
Next: Manchester United: Almost Signed XI
It wasn’t the most exciting match, but in May fans won’t remember the excitement as much as the point earned if the Red Devils manage to hoist the trophy. Mourinho is an expert at these maneuvers. He doesn’t care about entertaining as much as results, and a point at Anfield is always welcome.