Manchester United faced off against Valencia at the Mestalla Stadium earlier tonight looking to top their group with a win. The Red Devils made a poor start to the game and conceded in the 17th minute when Carlos Soler Barragan scored from close range. The visitors tried their best to come up with a response but failed to score as Valencia went in with a narrow one-goal lead at half-time.
Phil Jones scored a disastrous own goal early in the second half which left United with a mountain to climb. However, Marcus Rashford pulled a goal back for the Mancunian outfit in the 87th minute with his header. But it wasn’t enough as Valencia looked solid and defended quite well to earn all three points from the contest. The match ended with a final scoreline of 2-1 in favour of the La Liga team.
Let’s take a look at how each Manchester United player fared during the match against Valencia.
GK: Sergio Romero – 5/10
The Argentine keeper couldn’t do much about the first goal, but there was a total breakdown in communication with Phil Jones in the lead up to the second Valencia goal on the night.
RB: Antonio Valencia – 5/10
The United veteran struggled to cope with the pace of the game and was ordinary at best going forward.
CB: Eric Bailly – 6/10
He was strong in the air and commanded his box well. However, Bailly was poor in possession of the ball which would disappoint him.
CB: Phil Jones – 4/10
The English defender had a nightmare game at the back. He conceded an embarrassing own goal after there was a complete breakdown in communication with his keeper.
LB: Marcos Rojo – 5/10
The Argentine defender struggled during the game and found life hard to cope with at left-back as he was not playing in his natural position.
CM: Fred – 5/10
The Brazilian looked bright on the ball but was guilty of giving away possession way too many times.
CM: Marouane Fellaini – 5/10
As expected, he was good in the air but lacked the quality needed to operate as a holding midfielder.
CM: Paul Pogba – 5/10
The French midfielder was given the freedom to express himself, but he failed to take his chance. It was another lacklustre performance from him going forward.
RM: Juan Mata – 6/10
The Spanish playmaker went close to scoring in the first half. He was United’s biggest weapon in the opposition half.
ST: Romelu Lukaku – 5/10
The Belgian frontman worked hard to run the channels but lacked quality while in possession of the ball.
LM: Andreas Pereira – 6/10
The youngster looked ordinary in the first half but came back strong to put in an impressive shift in the second. He was far more productive when Lingard and Rashford got subbed into the game.
Substitutes:
LB: Ashley Young – 6/10
He brought some calmness into the game but was not a significant threat in the opposition half.
ST: Marcus Rashford – 7/10
It was a fantastic cameo from the England international! Rashford came off the bench to score with a fine header which gave United some hope in injury-time.
CAM: Jesse Lingard – 6/10
He looked tidy on the ball and linked up well with his teammates in and around the Valencia penalty area.
