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LONDON, ENGLAND – FEBRUARY 02: Javier Hernandez of Manchester United and Urby Emanuelson of Fulham tussle for the ball during the Barclays Premier League match between Fulham and Manchester United at Craven Cottage on February 2, 2013 in London, England. (Photo by Jamie McDonald/Getty Images)
Mark Schwarzer: 8
Brought out an almost perfect performance with some unbelievable saves, particularly off Rooney. Was unlucky not to have gotten a clean sheet
John Arne Riise: 7
Ran around all over the pitch as industrious as ever and had his long range canon ball shot pushed just over by de Gea. Made some excellent runs using his deadly pace
Philippe Santos: 6.5
Made some superb clearances, particularly with the head when United piled on the pressure. Held strong but was at fault for the goal after being out of position.
Brede Hangeland: 6
Denied Evra a good chance at goal but didn’t do much else as he was replaced after the first half.
Chris Baird: 6
Made some excellent passes and moved the ball well as he plucked the ball off the United midfield easily.
Sascha Riether: 7
Had Nani in his pocket and got past him fairly easily and attacked well as well
Giorgos Karagounis: 6
Was brave and went into tackles hard. Put good pressure on Carrick as well. Ran his heart out and was replaced by Emanuelson
Damien Duff: 6
Made some excellent pass and move plays along with Dejagah and showed real attacking intent but was nullified by the Carrick – Cleverley combination
Ashkan Dejagah: 6.5
Attacked with real pace and had many shots on goal but they didn’t come to much effect
Bryan Ruiz: 6
Lost possession many a time but was still a threat when he got it. Needed the presence of Berbatov’s experience to help him, which he didn’t get from Rodallega
Hugo Rodallega: 6.5
Beat Evans many times but still his impressive work rate amounted to nothing as his few shots were blasted wide. Also took the last free kick which could’ve given them a point but it didn’t even get past the wall
SUBSTITUTIONS
Aaron Hughes: 6
Came on at half time and battled well for the ball
Urby Emanuelson: 5
Came on for 25 minutes but didn’t really affect he match
Mladen Petric: 5
Came on for the last 10 minutes.
LONDON, ENGLAND – FEBRUARY 02: Wayne Rooney of Manchester United scores the opening goal during the Barclays Premier League match between Fulham and Manchester United at Craven Cottage on February 2, 2013 in London, England. (Photo by Jamie McDonald/Getty Images)
David de Gea: 7.5
Confident in the goal and was responsible for keeping United in the match after some world class saves in the first half. Was also confident in the air to catch the balls from corners and crosses.
Rafael Da Silva: 7
Showed absolutely immense work rate to bomb ahead in attack and the charged back to defend. Made some great clearances. One of United’s most improved players of recent times
Patrice Evra: 7
Defended well even though he was caught out of position a few times. Went forward in attack many times, linking up with others and provided crosses. Should have opened the scoring in a crowded penalty box.
Jony Evans: 8
Started out miserably but came back into the match with some truly amazing tackles and blocks. Handled Rodallega well and also got the assist to Rooney’s goal.
Got about his game calmly and efficiently. Won many duels in the air, especially towards the end. Held off the Fulham attacking tide towards the end with ease and composure.
Antonio Valencia: 4
Continued his poor run of form and looks merely a shadow of what he was last season. He should have blown Riise out of the water but did nothing to contribute to the attack as his decision making was bad. Replaced on the hour by Hernandez.
Michael Carrick: 7
United’s go to man had a difficult game with the Fulham players intent on closing him down but he kept things simple and effective. Made the right decisions and his passes always found a man. Helped a great deal in defense towards the end.
Tom Cleverley: 6.5
Energetic and accurate with his passes. Moved around Carrick providing him woth options. Could have gotten forward a few times but decided to stay back deep
Nani: 6
A little respite from his previous performances as he delivered many crosses but weren’t effective enough. Also helped out in defense a bit.
Wayne Rooney: 8
Was unlucky not to have added a few more goals to his tally today as he ran the show. Popped up in the right place and combined well with Van Persie. His goal was a testament to his pace and deadly finishing as he scored his 10th goal in as many matches to continue his red hot form!
Had a relatively quiet game but still was involved in most of United’s play as he linked up with Rooney well and always provided options. Made an excellent goal line clearance at the very end.
SUBSTITUTIONS
Ryan Giggs: 6
Didn’t see much of the ball and was fairly anonymous. Beat some defenders in the wing a few times easily but didn’t do much else
Tried to get onto the end of many long balls as the play was directed towards him and his pace. Should have sealed the game after going clean through on the goalkeeper at the end.
Danny Welbeck: N/A
Came on in the last few minutes to keep hold of the ball
