Manchester United crafted a brilliant comeback in the second half of their encounter against Newcastle United at Old Trafford. Goals from Juan Mata, Anthony Martial and later Alexis Sanchez in the 90th minute helped Jose Mourinho’s team gain three points in what was a thrilling match between the two sides.
MANCHESTER UNITED PLAYER RATINGS
David de Gea: 6/10
The Spaniard could have done better for the second goal. From that moment onwards though, he was alert and came off his line and was more proactive.
Ashley Young: 5/10
Ashley Young was partly culpable for both the goals that the Magpies scored. His positioning was poor on both occasions. However, the captain for the night flooded Newcastle’s box in the second half with sumptuous crosses. Eventually, Alexis Sanchez’s winner in the 90th minute was assisted by Young.
Eric Bailly: 2/10
The Ivorian failed to read the opposition for both the goals and was left humiliated after the second one. He was rightfully hauled off within the first 20 minutes and is facing a mountain to climb at United.
Chris Smalling: 4/10
Smalling was quite jittery as his lack of ability on the ball put United in trouble inside the box at times. He cleared the ball twice and had a superb shot on target though.
Luke Shaw: 7/10
Another tidy game from Shaw as he kept things simple and managed his defensive and offensive duties brilliantly. He won two tackles and crossed the ball five times during the course of the game.
Nemanja Matic: 5/10
The Serbian international failed to intercept the ball from a throw-in that led to the first goal. He was generally shaky but did well to settle into central defence when United were dominant in the attacking front.
Scott McTominay: 4/10
Scott McTominay played in two different positions, and though he displayed some good energy, the lad surely lacks the defensive skills to play at the heart of the backline. He was substituted for Marouane Fellaini at halftime.
Paul Pogba: 7/10
A very clinical performance from the Frenchman as he asserted his authority in the game from various positions. Pogba was moving the ball around quicker, running into the box and beautifully assisted Martial’s second goal with a cheeky flick.
Marcus Rashford: 4/10
Rashford was very disappointing on the pitch as he missed relatively easier goal-scoring chances in either half. His work-rate was unimpressive too, and he was substituted for Alexis Sanchez who scored the winning goal eventually!
Anthony Martial: 8/10
Martial tormented the Newcastle defenders with some lovely dribbles and silky one-touch play near the penalty box. He provided three key passes, completed one dribble but scored the equaliser with a thunderous finish in the bottom left corner.
Romelu Lukaku: 6/10
Lukaku interchanged positions and was generally better with his overall movement in the second half. He drifted out wide, crossed the ball four times and was one of Manchester United’s better players.
Substitutes
Juan Mata: 8/10
Mata was brought on quite early, and the Spaniard had a positive impact on the game. He drifted inwards, got into pockets of spaces and was a constant creative force. Moreover, his free-kick was sumptuous and paved the way for United’s comeback.
Marouane Fellaini: 6/10
It was expected that the Belgian would act as a target-man in the opposition box with United changing to long ball tactics. However, Fellaini provided excellent defensive cover and was a threatening aerial presence up front too at the end.
Alexis Sanchez: 7/10
With only 25 minutes left, Sanchez proved his class with some patient buildup play for the second goal. However, it is his winning headed goal in the 90th minute that will undoubtedly have an impact on his United career.
