Manchester United stumbled over the line in their latest Europa League group stage match, eventually earning all three points which is all that matters to Jose Mourinho. The game finished 1-0, with the only goal coming from a Zlatan Ibrahimovic header as Wayne Rooney miskicked a shot. That has now lifted United off the foot of their Europa League group, and they’ll be looking to kick on from here.
We’ve rated the performances of the Manchester United players below. Have a look, and feel free to leave your own thoughts in the comments section below or on Twitter @TBRFootball.
Sergio Romero – 7
Nice to see the Argentinian get a rare start. On the whole, he controlled his defence well, and made one important save midway through the second half. Jose will no doubt be pleased with his back-up goalkeeper.
Timothy Fosu-Mensah – 5
Started at right-back and was quiet for the first fifteen minutes. As the game wore on, he grew into it and started to buccaneer forward more and more which was crucial. Subbed.
Chris Smalling – 7
Captain on the night and played well. Dealt with the Zorya counter attack nicely, and didn’t give the Ukrainian side any real clear cut opportunities when it could’ve been easy to let his concentration slide.
Eric Bailly – 6
Made a couple of rash decisions as he lunged in unnecessarily. His pace is frightening, and the way he handled the Luhansk strikers was excellent to watch. What a future he has at Manchester United.
Marcos Rojo – 4
I just don’t know how this man is a professional footballer. He looks so shaky on the ball and rarely makes the correct decision. Positionally he’s nothing short of awful. The Argentine is a liability.
Paul Pogba – 6
Did alright. Made some nice passes and attempted to drag his team through it. The talent is obviously there and we did see some more glimpses of brilliance, but he is nowhere near close to performing at 100% yet.
Marouane Fellaini – 5
Defensively, he was sound. He won countless tackles with the Zorya midfield, but you want him to look forward and pick out the players ahead of him. Sadly, he looks for the easy option all too often.
Jesse Lingard – 3
When given time to think about what he is doing, Lingard crumbles. Against Zorya he didn’t really shine, and gave the ball away far too often. You’d imagine his place in the side is in doubt for the weekend.
Juan Mata – 7
The maestro and architect going forward. He was super in behind the striker as he picked the right passes and made some nice runs. He could have a big season ahead.
Marcus Rashford – 6
Utilised his pace well, and gave the Ukrainian side a real nightmare as the game wore on. Unlucky not to get himself a goal with a thunderous strike which rattled the bar.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic – 7
Scored the only goal of the game with a decent header. Led the line well and tried to urge his team forward. It feels as though Manchester United have found a real leader and focal point for their attack again.
Subs:
Wayne Rooney – 4
Wasn’t great yet again, and somehow managed to grab himself an assist. His passing was atrocious, and his overall game just wasn’t good enough.
Ashley Young – Lively. Got United moving in the right direction as the game wore on. Not enough time to mark.
Anthony Martial – Didn’t really get long to make any impact, but looked a threat, particularly on the counter. Not enough time to mark.
Manager:
Jose Mourinho – 7
Went for a strong team, and you cannot fault him for that. You feel he got it right tactically, but the players on the field could’ve done an awful lot better.
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