Manchester United
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David de Gea – 6.5
He had next to no work to do the entire game. He was faultless for Swansea’s goal and was easily able to gather Mo Barrow’s tame effort at goal.
Ashley Young – 7.5
Young deserves a lot of credit for willing to put in the miles up and down the field for United. He was lively going forward and got his tackles against Montero absolutely spot on in the second half.
Phil Jones – 7
Making his first appearance in around 10 months, Jones put in a good shift – although he was helped massively by his side’s midfield dominance. His only error was his failure to mark Van der Hoorn for Swansea’s goal – but it didn’t matter in the end.
Marcos Rojo – 7.5
The Argentine appears to be regaining form under Mourinho with another robust performance at centre-half. He was confident in his clearances and won nearly all his challenges to stop Swansea on counter-attacks.
Matteo Darmian – 7
Darmian barely broke a sweat in the first half against an ineffective Routledge. However, when he needed to come up with the goods – with Barrow’s introduction – he was up to the task. He rarely allowed the quick-footed winger to slalom past him and create an opening for the Swans.
Michael Carrick – 8
He was a leader in defensive midfield. His presence provided the insurance to Pogba, Mata and Fellaini to move forward and pressurize the hosts’ defence. At times, he was seen slotting in as a third centre-back to ensure his team were not hit on the counter.
Marouane Fellaini – 7
His aerial attributes helped United keep possession in the Swansea half and control the game. A few fouls apart, it was a decent display by the Belgian in midfield.
Juan Mata – 7.5
Mata easily came up trumps in the duel between himself and Kingsley, constantly cutting in from the right and finding that defence-piercing pass.
Paul Pogba – 8.5
The world-record summer signing blossomed in a free role at the Liberty Stadium. He was seen everywhere on the pitch – right from the time United started building from the back till they peppered the Swans’ penalty box. The team played around him throughout the game, which suits the Frenchman. His brilliant volley to set United on their way was the tipping point of a memorable performance.
Wayne Rooney – 8
The skipper put in a magnificent display to end his run of poor form. He was impressive from the left of midfield, constantly making runs into the middle and locating his teammates who were in potential goal-scoring positions. A couple of assists for Zlatan Ibrahimovic meant that it was a satisfying 90 minutes for the 31-year old.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic – 8
A brace to put a lengthy goalless run to bed puts Ibrahimovic in contention for the Man of the Match. However, his booking to earn a suspension for the game against Arsenal mars the 35-year old’s afternoon.
Substitutes:
Jesse Lingard – 6.5
He was brought on to inject some pace against a reviving Swans. The move worked as the visitors quelled any short-term anxiousness of a possible Swansea comeback.
Morgan Schneiderlin – N/A
Introduced into the game too late to make an impact.
Timothy Fosu-Mensah – N/A
Came on for Paul Pogba in the injury time.
