De Gea – Unfairly blamed for the Preston NE goal, but had very little to do otherwise. 5
Valencia – A continuous threat from fullback, he was involved in both United’s two first goals. Crossing was a lot better than usual. 8
Smalling – Started off on the wrong foot but found his feet after an hour or so. 5
Rojo – Slightly uncomfortable with having to deal with the unnatural physicality of lower-league football but coped well enough. 6
Shaw – Looked to provide some attacking width but saw little of the ball. 5
Blind – His passing wasn’t as good as it usually is yet he still acted as United’s main anchor from midfield. 6
Rooney – Passing was abysmal all evening but he won a penalty and slotted it away cooly. 5
Di Maria – Looked to run at players with the ball but lost it countless times. Passing was also disappointing. 5
Herrera – Not his finest start to a United game but scored brilliantly and grew into the game from there onwards. 6
Fellaini – Found his feet eventually and exerted his influence on the game. Provided an aerial target for his teammates and took his goal brilliantly. 6
Falcao – Still not happening for the Colombian. Touch seems heavy and it’s obvious that there’s a confidence issue present too. 5
Subs:
Young – Can’t believe how relieved I was to see him back. And he didn’t let down. 8
Other:
Louis van Gaal – Another woeful start to a game but the manager at least took initiative and looked to change things up soon after the second half whistle. Brought on Young to help balance the team, and the results were fantastic. Hopefully this is a wakeup call for him to stop trying to force so many attackers into the starting XI. 5
Referee: Davies should have been sent off but the referee bottled it. 3
Be the first to comment