Manchester United had a golden chance to add to Stoke City’s miseries when they hosted the Potters at Old Trafford on the first Super Sunday game but it was another frustrating outing from the Red Devils.
Manchester United dominated the possession the game as they had 67% of the ball to be precise and had as many as 23 shots out of which only nine were on target. Stoke keeper Lee Grant had an inspired game against the hosts.
Jose Mourinho’s double substitution in the second half worked wonders as Anthony Martial scored a brilliant curler after Wayne Rooney was robbed of the ball by Geoff Cameron. However, their joy was short-lived as Joe Allen was at the right place at the right time to capitalise on a rare goalkeeping error from De Gea to score the equaliser on the stroke of the 82nd minute.
Here are the player ratings for Manchester United from the game.
David de Gea: 6/10
Was not asked too many questions. Made a brilliant save to keep out Bruno Martins Indi’s header from a Xherdan Shaqiri free-kick. However, caused his side two points with a poor error that led to Stoke’s equaliser.
Antonio Valencia: 6.5/10
Was energetic in the right-back position. Bombed forward on every opportunity but the final product was not there. Booked for a silly foul.
Eric Bailly: 7.5/10
Was a beast in the air and in both boxes. Made as many as 5 tackles, 2 interceptions and 10 clearances.
Chris Smalling: 7/10
Did not look at his best and was decent in the air to keep Bony silent. Made 8 clearances during the game.
Daley Blind: 6/10
Was defensively very vulnerable. His set-piece delivery was brilliant but needs to pick up his defensive duties.
Ander Herrera: 7/10
A brilliant game from the Spaniard. Passed very well with an accuracy of 89% and had the most touches of the ball. Made as many as 3 tackles, 7 interceptions and 5 clearances.
Paul Pogba: 6/10
Another frustrating outing from the Frenchman. You expect much better from world’s most expensive player. Struck as many as five shots but among them, only one was on target. Was involved a lot in the general play, but you’d expect better end product for a player of his caliber.
Jesse Lingard: 7/10
Worked his socks off for the team. Almost got himself on the scoresheet but Lee Grant pulled off a stunning save.
Juan Mata: 6.5/10
Had a good game. Pulled the strings from midfield and roamed around the pitch. Pulled off a brilliant chip but Grant did well to keep it out.
Marcus Rashford: 7.5/10
Was a menace with his pace from the left. Made some brilliant deliveries from the right-hand side.
Zlatan Ibrahimović: 6.5/10
Did not have his scoring boots today. Overall, a bad game from the Swede. Had four shots on target but none really tested Grant.
Substitutes
Anthony Martial: 7/10
Struck a brilliant goal right after coming on. Was a threat with his directness and dribbling.
Wayne Rooney: 6/10
Did not have too much of an impact after coming on
Memphis Depay: NA
