Manchester United breathed a sigh of relief as they got the better of Sunderland in a 3-0 win at the Stadium of Light. All three points were secured by Jose Mourinho’s men as the win propelled them to fifth in the league table. An eventful match ensued at Wearside as Seb Larsson received a red card for his foul on Ander Herrera. The Black Cats had to play with a man short for an hour which made it almost impossible to mount a comeback.
Zlatan Ibrahimović had given the visitors the lead on the half hour mark before two second half goals from Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Marcus Rashford saw Manchester United ease to a 3-0 win.
Manchester United player ratings
Sergio Romero (7.5/10): Had to save one shot from Victor Anichebe in the first half but other than that, Romero claimed his ninth clean sheet of the season in an easy fashion. He has done well every time the Argentina has received a chance to start.
Matteo Darmian (6/10): The Italian handled the defending part well but didn’t offer much going forward. All in all, a decent performance.
Marcos Rojo (6.5/10): Rojo had few problems matching up to Jermain Defoe but progressed as the game went on.
Eric Bailly (8/10): Easily United’s best defender this season. He was again robust when defending and strong in the air. Bailly was also useful when in possession. Had a moment of nerviness when Anichebe troubled but was bailed out by Romero.
Luke Shaw (7.5/10): Shaw provided an assist for the second goal as he showed glimpses of his blistering pace. He was booked in the first half and had to be taken off after taking a knock on his ankle.
Andre Herrera (7/10): Maintained the tempo of the game and distributed the ball well. He had the job of shielding his back line and he did that to perfection.
Marouane Fellaini (6/10): Eyebrows were raised when it was confirmed that Fellaini was the captain for United tonight. He was strong in midfield and didn’t do anything adventurous with the ball which was his only shortcoming.
Paul Pogba (5.5/10): Drifted out of the game as it went on. Inconsistency has been the bane for Pogba this season as it was again evident by his performance tonight.
Jesse Lingard (7/10): A tireless performance by Lingard who signed a new long-term contract last week. He took a few shots and displayed immense work rate.
Henrikh Mkhitaryan (7.5/10): The Armenian scored a brilliant solo goal to justify his selection in the starting lineup after he was criticised by Mourinho in the 0-0 draw against West Bromwich Albion.
Zlatan Ibrahimović (8/10): Ibrahimović was anonymous for most of the first half until he scored yet another goal which kick-started the onslaught from Manchester United. He proved to be too good for the Sunderland defence at times.
Substitutes
Daley Blind (7/10): Came in for Luke Shaw and played a calming influence on the back four in his half-hour cameo.
Anthony Martial (6/10): The Frenchman had one chance to increase the goals for but couldn’t finish. He was later booked for a rash tackle.
Marcus Rashford (8/10): Took his chance well and finished off a brilliant play with a clinically taken goal. It will be a huge confidence booster for the youngster who has struggled previously in recent months.