Manchester United and Everton FC played out an entertaining end-to-end thriller at Old Trafford on Sunday evening, with Di Maria and Rademel Falcao both scoring before Naismith put the Evertonians back into the game. The game concluded with a deserved 3 points for United which pushed them into 4th place.
De Gea - 9/10 MOTM
An admirable performance for the Spaniard, who became the first keeper to stop a Leighton Baines penalty and also had a excellent string of saves to earn 3 points for his side. Couldn’t do a great deal about the excellent equalising goal from Everton striker Steven Naismith in fairness and would have been great if he could have kept a clean sheet. Am outstanding performance nonetheless.
Rafael - 7/10
A great performance all-round for the brazillian, who seemed confident attacking and defending against Everton.
Paddy Mcnair - 7.5/10
Breaking into the mould of a United Defender better with every game that he plays, Mcnair did well to deal with the physical threat of Romelu Lukaku.
Luke Shaw – 6.5/10
Good going forward, but perhaps still looking a little unfit, and did badly to concede a penalty in the first half, even if Leighton Baines then missed from the spot.
Marcos Rojo- 6/5/10
A solid display at the back from United defender Marcos Rojo, who helped keep Everton fairly quiet throughout much of the game.
Daley Blind - 6.5/10
Not the most commanding game from United midfield anchorman Daley Blind, though he perhaps didn’t benefit from an attack-minded midfield ahead of him.
Antonio Valencia – 7/10
Despite playing in a new central role, Antonio Valencia performed well for United in their midfield diamond, getting forward to good effect when possible.
Angel Di Maria – 8.5/10
A well-taken goal and a superb assist, Angel Di Maria was excellent throughout for the home side, looking far and away the man of the match for Louis van Gaal’s side.
Juan Mata – 7.5/10
Not his best game, but Mata showed that he is still a player with quality able to make a decisive impact as he set up the first goal cleverly for Di Maria.
Robin van Persie 6/10
A quiet game by his standards, Robin van Persie didn’t see much of the ball and didn’t have any real influence on the result, which will come as some concern.
Radamel Falcao 8/10
Despite missing a few chances, Radamel Falcao showed great goalscoring instincs to prod home the winner in the second half, which could be the start of a flurry of goals from the prolific Colombian.
Manager rating- Louis Van Gaal- 9/10
Managed his injury and suspension problems well by picking a somewhat solid side which could cope with the counter- attacks from Everton, but also managed to grab all 3 points which will become something of the norm if Van Gaal continues his winning streak.