Manchester United entertained Manchester City at Old Trafford earlier this evening hoping to pick up a victory in front of their home supporters. The Red Devils looked threatening on the break and managed to grab the lead via Anthony Martial’s volleyed finish from close range at the half-hour mark. They defended valiantly and went into the half-time break one goal to the good.
The Citizens dominated possession for major periods of the second 45 minutes but couldn’t conjure up an equalising goal. Solskjaer’s side struck again in injury-time when Scott McTominay found the back of the net with a perfectly-placed strike. In the end, the Red Devils were just too good for their rivals as they emerged victorious with a convincing 2-0 scoreline at the Theatre of Dreams.
Let’s take a look at how each Man United player fared during the contest versus the Citizens.
Manchester United Players Rated In Win Vs Manchester City
GK: David De Gea – 7/10
The Spanish custodian made a good save in each half to keep a comfortable clean sheet at the back.
CB: Victor Lindelof – 7/10
The Swedish centre-back showed maturity and put in an assured display as part of Solskjaer’s back three.
CB: Harry Maguire – 6.5/10
The English defender was lacklustre in the first 45 but put in a much-improved display in the second. He was responsible for making some crucial last-ditch clearances and did enough to restrict the Citizens from scoring today.
CB: Luke Shaw – 7.5/10
The ex-Southampton defender recovered well from an early mistake and put in a classy display both as a centre-back and later, as a wing-back. Solskjaer will be pleased with his performance during the game.
RWB: Aaron Wan-Bissaka – 8/10
He kept Raheem Sterling in check and was also a threat going forward. The United supporters would be hoping for more of the same from the full-back in the coming weeks.
CM: Fred – 8/10
The Brazilian was once again brilliant at the heart of the Red Devils midfield. He linked up play well with his teammates and was at the centre of every good move that Man United conjured up going forward.
CM: Nemanja Matic – 7.5/10
The Serbian midfield ace kept possession ticking in midfield and made some vital interceptions to see out the victory for his side.
LWB: Brandon Williams – 6/10
The young full-back worked hard in support of the attack but struggled to cope with Riyad Mahrez’s threat down the wide areas.
CAM: Bruno Fernandes – 7.5/10
The Portuguese playmaker made some intelligent runs and fashioned a couple of decent opportunities for his teammates. He picked out Martial’s run with a perfectly-chipped pass and the Frenchman made no mistake with his volley in the 30th minute.
ST: Daniel James – 7/10
He was a bit selfish inside the opposition penalty box and didn’t manage to get his name on the scoresheet. However, it wasn’t for the lack of trying from his part. James linked up with his striking partnership, Martial on quite a few occasions and was a big headache for the Man City defenders.
ST: Anthony Martial – 7.5/10
The French striker was quite greedy and squandered a couple of excellent opportunities during the game. However, he kept his calm to open the goal-scoring with a fine volley from close range.
Substitutes:
CM: Scott McTominay – 8/10
He came off the bench to score an injury-time goal that will live long in the memories of the Man United supporters.
CB: Eric Bailly – 6/10
The talented defender came on to see out the win.
ST: Odion Ighalo – 6/10
He had a few bright moments but did nothing to cheer home about during his short time on the field.
