Manchester United clashed heads with Villarreal at Old Trafford earlier tonight, hoping to pick up all three points on matchday 2 of the UEFA Champions League campaign. Paco Alcacer opened the scoreline in the 53rd minute as he capitalised on Arnaut Danjuma’s mistake to hand the visitors a 1-0 lead. Just 7 minutes later, Alex Telles found the back of the net following a set-piece situation to level things out. Cristiano Ronaldo pulled a rabbit out of his hat in the 95th minute as he scored from a tight angle to secure a 2-1 victory for the Red Devils.
Let’s take a look at how each Manchester United player fared during the clash against the Yellow Submarine.
Manchester United Players Rated In Win Vs Villarreal
David De Gea 9
Not all heroes wear capes, and the Spanish shot-stopper is a prime example. De Gea pulled off some world-class saves to deny Villarreal (especially Arnaut Danjuma) from taking the lead in the first half of the contest, and even until the 93rd minute, he didn’t let his guard down.
Alex Telles 8
The Brazilian left-back had a few nervous moments against Yeremi Pino, but he scored the goal when his team needed it the most. He couldn’t have hit the ball any better.
Raphael Varane 7
The Frenchman put up a solid performance at the heart of Manchester United’s backline tonight. He made some crucial interceptions and clearances to keep his side in the game.
Victor Lindelof 7
The Swedish centre-back paired well with Raphael Varane to keep things in order at the back even when everything around seemed chaotic. He never lost his concentration and stuck to his task like he was the last man standing on the pitch.
Diogo Dalot 4
The Portuguese wing-back was at sixes and sevens trying to defend against Arnaut Danjuma in 1v1 situations. He had absolutely no clue on how to stop the Dutchman, and the inevitable happened in the 53rd minute as Paco Alcacer capitalised on his low cross to put the visitors in the lead.
Paul Pogba 6
The France international took up a more central role tonight, playing just behind Bruno Fernandes to support United’s attacks. However, it didn’t quite work out for him tonight as he failed to produce anything even close to creative in the opposition half. At times, he held on to the ball for too long, which slowed down the counter-attacks.
Scott McTominay 6
It was a fairly average performance from the Scottish midfielder who had a lot of defending to do in the middle of the park.
Jadon Sancho 6
The English winger pulled off some neat tricks to beat his marker down either flank, but he lacked communication in the final third. Once he settles in, we can certainly expect better from him.
Bruno Fernandes 8
The Portuguese playmaker led from the front tonight as he kept urging his players to push forward in search of a goal. Furthermore, he took the set-piece, which eventually led to the equalising goal.
Mason Greenwood 7
The 19-year-old forward didn’t have the best of nights down the right-wing, but he delivered some decent crosses into the box to make things harder for the Villarreal defenders.
Cristiano Ronaldo 8
Ronaldo came to the rescue when his team needed him the most. Although his overall performance was questionable as he gave away the ball on several occasions, it would be fair to say that he made up for it with the game’s winning goal.
SUBSTITUTES (Manchester United Players Rated In Win Vs Villarreal)
Edinson Cavani 6.5
The Uruguayan added energy to United’s attacks.
Nemanja Matic 6
He carried the ball well on a few occasions.
Fred N/A
He didn’t have much to do after coming on in the 89th minute.
Jesse Lingard 7
He got himself the assist for the winning goal.
