Manchester United player ratings vs Watford – Awful display costs Solskjaer his job

Manchester United were hammered 4-1 by Watford at Vicarage Road on Saturday, a defeat that cost Ole Gunnar Solskjaer his job.

Joshua King gave Watford the lead before Ismaila Sarr redeemed himself after being denied by David de Gea from the spot-kick twice following a re-take. Substitute Donny Van de Beek halved the deficit shortly after the break but Harry Maguire’s second yellow card left the 10-man Red Devils in disarray again.

Joao Pedro slotted through the legs of De Gea before Emmanuel Dennis grabbed the Hornets’ fourth to add more shine to the scoreline.

Manchester United Player Ratings vs Watford

David de Gea- 5/10

Arguably Man United’s best player on the pitch, De Gea saved two Ismaila Sarr penalties but was let down by his defenders, yet again. Could have done better to save the third goal.

Aaron Wan-Bissaka- 1/10

Wan-Bissaka was all over the place as Watford forwards targeted him. Poor on the ball and off it, culpable for the first goal.

Victor Lindelof- 3/10

Lindelof endured a tough time against the likes of Dennis and King. The Swede’s positioning was often poor in the first half. While he improved slightly after the break, he couldn’t stop Man United from conceding two more goals.

Harry Maguire- 3/10

Maguire saved the Red Devils during the first-half horror show with his vital late interceptions and tackles. Madness crept in him after the break and he earned a second yellow card to leave his team reeling when they wanted their skipper the most.

Luke Shaw- 3/10

Another poor performance from Shaw, who was perhaps culpable for Watford’s second goal. He was taken off after a knock to the head.

Scott McTominay- 2/10

Reckless and clumsy off the ball, McTominay never looked fully fit. He conceded the penalty by grabbing hold of King’s shirt and pulling him down in the box. Was taken off at half-time.

Nemanja Matic- 2/10

Matic struggled alongside McTominay in Man United midfield, conceding cheap possession time and again that allowed Watford to take control of the game early on.

Marcus Rashford- 3/10

Rashford tried to create openings for his teammates but it just didn’t click for him. Tested Foster with a fine volley. Was hooked at half-time.

Bruno Fernandes- 3/10

Fernandes’ failed clearance in the build-up to the penalty was forgettable, although his blushes were saved by De Gea from the spot. Otherwise, he had a torrid afternoon as nothing worked out for the Portuguese midfielder.

Jadon Sancho- 4/10

Sancho was anonymous throughout the first half just like his teammates. Sparked into life after the break, with some of the English winger’s delivery to Ronaldo was pin-point and on another day could have handed him an assist.

Cristiano Ronaldo- 4/10

Ronaldo had to drop a lot deeper to get involved in the game. Went close to scoring a couple of times but was denied by Foster with one goal chopped off for offside. Grabbed an assist for Van de Beek’s goal.

Substitutes

Donny Van de Beek-6/10

Van de Beek made an instant impact after coming on at half-time. He scored five minutes into the second half with a diving header that changed the mood at Vicarage Road. Played some wonderful passes and broke play with a couple of bone-chilling tackles, one of which resulted in Sarr being substituted.

Anthony Martial- 3/10

Came on at half-time to change the course of the game and while he did okay in patches, the Frenchman sloppily gave the ball away for Watford’s third and killer goal.

Diogo Dalot- 2/10

Came on for Shaw at left-back but made no impact.

Jesse Lingard- N/A

Had very little time to make an impact.

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