Manchester United return to winning ways with a comfortable 2-0 win against Huddersfield Town. The visitors made it difficult work for United with their dogged defensive tactics, but the Reds came through strongly with goals from Romelu Lukaku and Alexis Sánchez. Juan Mata impressed, Scott McTominay performed confidently and Sánchez was superb once again, here are our player ratings:
David De Gea: 6
Hard to give the goalkeeper any other rating. He was literally a passenger for the whole game and didn’t have to make a save. A clean sheet on his 300th appearance for the Reds.
Antonio Valencia: 6.5
Valencia was back to his usual form and had more free reign going forward. The captain bombed forward on numerous occasions and tried to carve chances down the right-hand side.
Chris Smalling: 6.5
After a shaky game midweek, Smalling returned with a solid defensive performance. Huddersfield didn’t test the backline all that often but Smalling read any threat well.
Marcos Rojo: 6
Much like his other center-back, Rojo had almost nothing to do. In a game where United had the majority of possession, the duo helped limit Huddersfield to no shots on goal.
Luke Shaw: 6
Shaw was named on the starting team sheet after a disappointing midweek performance from Ashley Young. He wasn’t as adventurous as Valencia but provided assistance for Sánchez on the left.
Nemanja Matić: 6
A comfortable game for Matić. He lined-up alongside McTominay which gave him more support defensively. However, in this game, he didn’t need it.
Scott McTominay: 6.5
McTominay was named over Paul Pogba in a surprising move from Mourinho. The young midfielder was given a physical beating in the first-half and should’ve won a penalty, but the referee deemed the aggressive collision fair. He kept things simple and linked the ball well, a good game for McTominay who has shown he can handle the big stage.
Juan Mata: 7.5
Arguably Mata’s best performance for United so far this season. The midfielder was a constant creator for the Reds, especially in the first half when chances were hard to come by. Brilliant left-footed assist for Romelu Lukaku’s opener.
Jesse Lingard: 6
Looked to slice open the dogged Huddersfield defense and had a good effort well-saved from the keeper. Faded somewhat in the later stages of the game and came off after 65 minutes.
Alexis Sánchez: 8 (Man of the Match)
United’s new boy had a brilliant Premier League home debut. Kicked all over the field, he never shied away from getting on the ball. His trickery was on full display this afternoon and his clever play drew a penalty in the second-half. Sánchez stepped up, Lössl saved but the Chilean slotted the rebound home. Another good performance.
Romelu Lukaku: 7
The big Belgian had a frustrating first-half, finding service hard to come by with Huddersfield sitting very deep. He broke the deadlock with a great finish, calmly volleying Juan Mata’s excellent cross past Lössl.
Paul Pogba (Sub, 63’): 6.5
Came on for Lingard just after the hour mark and offered United another element of creativity. Roamed all around the field in a more advanced role.
Marcus Rashford (Sub, 71’): 6
Replaced Juan Mata with 20 minutes to go. Rashford gave United some fresh, fast legs, but couldn’t implement himself all that much on a game where the three points were already sealed.
Anthony Martial (Sub, 77’): 6
Replaced Lukaku on the 77th minute. Not enough time for him to influence the game.
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