Manchester United took on Tottenham Hotspur in the semi-finals of the FA Cup at the Wembley Stadium on Saturday. Jose Mourinho opted for a 4-3-3 formation and his side began the match on the front foot but couldn’t cope with the early Spurs pressure.
They conceded a goal in the 11th minute when Dele Alli scored from inside the penalty box. However, the Red Devils bounced back courtesy of Alexis Sanchez in the 24th minute. Both sides tried their best but went into half-time with a 1-1 scoreline.
The Reds of Manchester began to dominate in the second half and scored the deserved winner in the 62nd minute when Ander Herrera scored from a shot inside the box. The contest ended with United winning with a 2-1 scoreline and securing progression into the final of the FA Cup.
Let’s shed some light on how each Manchester United player fared during the contest.
GK: David De Gea – 6/10
The Spaniard couldn’t do much about Dele Alli’s opener and was left helpless when Eric Dier’s deflected shot struck the post in the latter stages of the first half.
RB: Antonio Valencia – 6/10
The Ecuador international put in a tireless shift during the contest but had to come off due to an injury in the final quarter of the match.
CB: Chris Smalling – 6/10
He just did enough to keep Harry Kane quiet which ultimately helped his side bag the victory on the day.
CB: Phil Jones – 7.5/10
He defended valiantly and put in a number of great challenges to keep the Spurs attackers at bay and earn his team the win.
LB: Ashley Young – 5.5/10
He was at fault when he switched off during the Spurs opener but recovered well in the second half.
CM: Ander Herrera – 8/10
He closed down the Spurs players well and scored the winner with a smart finish from just inside the box.
CM: Nemanja Matic – 6/10
He made a nervy start to the match but recovered well to put in a strong second-half performance.
CM: Paul Pogba – 6.5/10
He was at fault for the Spurs opener but came back strong to get an assist for the Sanchez equaliser.
RM: Jesse Lingard – 6.5/10
He worked hard for the Red Devils and put in a decent shift down the right flank.
ST: Romelu Lukaku – 6/10
He struggled to have an impact inside the Spurs penalty box but did well to set up Herrera’s winner for United.
LM: Alexis Sánchez – 8.5/10
The Chilean scored the equaliser for the Red Devils with a wonderful header and played a crucial part in his team’s victory on Saturday.
Substitutes:
Marcus Rashford – 5/10
He was guilty of squandering a decent chance after coming off the bench in the final quarter of the game.
Matteo Darmian – 6/10
He looked solid in defence and did well to help his team see out the victory.
Marouane Fellaini – N/A
He came on in injury time to run the clock down and had little time to make an impact in the game.
