Manchester United 4 Newcastle United 3 – Player ratings

Manchester United

David De Gea – 5.5

The Spaniard was to blame for the first Newcastle goal, where he could have grabbed the ball off Ba’s shot that lead to the rebound.

Chris Smalling – 6.5

The young Englishman was under a lot of pressure from Marveaux and Santon and was never allowed to make any significant contributions for his side.

Jonny Evans – 6.5

Goalscorer on both ends of the pitch, Evans had the most eventful evening on the pitch.

Rio Ferdinand – 6

The veteran defender could’ve done better to close down the shots from the Newcastle attackers, as it turned out to be another inconsistent outing for Rio.

Patrice Evra – 7

Another week, another goal, the captain was pretty much up to the task with his marking duties as well as with his forward runs.

Antonia Valencia – 6.5

There has been a dip in his performances since his return from the sidelines as he was frustrated with himself by the end of the game.

Michael Carrick – 8.5

There are days when Carrick makes his presence felt in that United shirt, and his creativity in the midfield certainly worked as a game clincher for the home side.

Paul Scholes – 6

Struggled against the pace of Anita and Perch in the midfield and was eventually taken off by Sir Alex.

Ryan Giggs – 7.5

It was a vintage Ryan Giggs performance on the left wing, creating a host of chances in the second half. It’s after days like these when we appreciate SAF on keeping him for so long in the side.

Robin van Persie – 7.5

Has looked to have lost his sharpness in the past few games, yet the goals just cannot stop coming from the Dutchman’s boot.

Javier Hernanadez – 7.5

Tried all game to time his forward runs to perfection, missed a few chances, but he did score! Right when it mattered for his side.

Substitutes:

Tom Cleverley – 6.5

His pace did make a difference as United looked more competitive in the fight to retain the possession.

Darren Fletcher – N.A.

Came on as a late substitute.

Newcastle United

Tim Krul – 5.5

The Dutch stopper could have done better to save Patrice Evra’s shot that went in to level the scores for the second time in the game.

Danny Simpson – 6

His influence on the flank faded in the second half when Evra and Giggs took control of proceedings.

Michael Williamson – 6.5

Started off pretty well, but was lethargic with his marking duties as the game progressed.

Fabricio Coloccini – 6.5

Newcastle’s leader at the back had a decent all round game and was unfortunate that the other defenders just weren’t up to scratch.

Davide Santon – 7.5

The full back had one of his best games of the season, as he ran the scheme of things on the flank for long phases of the game.

Papiss Demba Cisse – 7.5

Scored a decent goal and did nothing much wrong on the day.

James Perch – 7

His pace did the trick in winning early midfield battles against United, but somehow wasn’t able to retain his performance levels after the break.

Vurnon Anita – 6.5

Anita had a typical all-action shift in midfield, and his efforts warranted something more significant out of this game.

Gael Bigirimana – 6

The midfielder never made much of an impact on the game and was rightly substituted in the second half.

Sylvain Marveaux – 7

Had a decent run on the wing and would’ve scored off a free-kick in the first half if not for the cross-bar to intervene.

Demba Ba – 6.5

The striker did work hard throughout the game, but sadly didn’t have anything to show fir on the scoresheet at the end of the game.

Substitutes:

Gabriel Obertan – 6.5

The winger on his return to Old Trafford was bursting with energy as he created one for Cisse to give the lead to the away side that was to stay only for three minutes.

Shola Ameobi – 6

Coming on as a late substitute, he didn’t have much impact on the game.

Sammy Ameobi – 6

The young striker was unlucky with one of his attempts, hitting the post.