Swansea City vs Manchester United

SWANSEA CITY

Michel Vorm – 7

Swansea’s highly rated first choice Keeper returned and did well to keep out the United attack, including a spectacular double save. Made a late save to keep out Carrick’s header by pushing it onto the bar.

Chico – 6.5

Was tasked with the job of keeping out Van Persie and did it with great efficiency. Made several important blocks and regularly cleared crosses. Got booked for bringing down Rooney.

Ashley Williams – 6.5

Worked well with Chico at the center of defense and made several last ditch clearances. Denied Rooney and Young several times.

Dwight Tiendalli – 6

Had to constantly deal with the unpredictable Young but handled it well. Went forward many a time to contribute to attack, causing a few headaches for Evra.

Ben Davies – 6

The young defender allowed the shortest player on the pitch to head past him but made up for it by keeping Valencia in check.

Leon Britton – 5.5

Played the holding role today and kept trying to intercept United’s attack. Made safe passes rather than try to move forward. Should have done better in handling Evra when they conceded. Made way for Ki with 30 minutes to go.

Nathan Dyer – 6.5

Linked up well with Tiendalli and regularly helped in defense. Made two excellent crosses but had no takers.

Wayne Routledge – 7

Drifted all around the attacking third and regularly beat his man. Did some excellent work for Michu’s goal. Caused some trouble to De Gea.

Kemy Agustien – 6

Known for his defensive work rate the Dutch player helped Chico many a time to control Van Persie.

Michu – 6.5

A real live wire in the Swansea attack in the beginning and showed a poacher’s instinct for his goal. Drifted off in the second half because most of the game was played in their own half. An absolute steal for 2 million pounds.

Jonathan De Guzman – 6.5

The attacking midfielder was involved in almost all the attacks by Swansea. Pushed forward brilliantly and was denied by De Gea but ended up in Michu’s goal. Worked hard and contributed well.

Substitutions

Ki Sung-Yong – 5

Came on for half an hour of play but contributed little going forward. Spent most the time stifling out attacks by the opposition.

Luke Moore – 5

Came in place of the more effective de Guzman and didn’t manage to make a significant impact for the 20 minutes he played.

Etey Shechter – N/A

Came on in the 87^th minute and had little influence on the game.

MANCHESTER UNITED

David De Gea – 6

Made a good save initially but palmed the ball right into the path of Michu for his goal. Wasn’t called upon much and just had to mop up a few weak attempts on goal.

Patrice Evra – 6.5

Headed home his 3rd Premier League goal but let his man run behind him on the build up to Michu’s goal. Had some problems dealing with Tiendalli and Routledge. Was well involved in United’s attacks, providing crosses and running off the ball.

Phil Jones – 5

Was pretty solid defensively but provided almost nothing to the attack with his crosses never finding anyone. Booked for a bad tackle on Ben Davies.

Jonny Evans – 6

Made a few wayward passes but did his job whenever called upon (which wasn’t too many times)

Nemanja Vidic – 6.5

Put in a good 90 minutes and shut the door on Michu well. A little rusty at times, especially in the first half but he’s on his way to full fitness.

Antonio Valencia – 4

A frustrated figure out wide and took long too make his decisions and most of them were the wrong ones. Contributed very little to the attack and defense and wasted a good opportunity to score. Was replaced by Hernandez due to his lack of usefulness.

Michael Carrick – 7.5

Strong and authoritative, the midfielder pulled the strings and was always available for a pass. Made some excellent balls to contribute into the attack and also cleared up things in the midfield. Had his late header deflected onto the bar. United’s best player.

Ashley Young – 5

After a set of decent performances he was unimpressive today. Should have made far post runs when some good balls were drilled in. Was in many good positions but was ineffective most of the time. Had a shot on goal saved by Vorm.

Tom Cleverley – 6.5

With Carrick present behind, the midfielder had all the freedom the move around and link up with the attack. Contributed little to the defense though and was later replaced by Paul Scholes as they pushed to find a winner.

Wayne Rooney – 4

Largely anonymous in the first half and a had a few shot on target but all were straight at the keeper. Kept losing possession and did nothing of significance whilst in possession. Made a very poor pass to Hernandez which could have sent him through. Got booked for a late challenge on Tiendaland and was subbed off for Ryan Giggs.

Robin Van Persie – 6.5

Linked play well upfront and provided the corner that lead to Evra’s goal. Wasn’t able to contribute much due to lack of effective service. Hit the bar once with a delightful snap shot reminiscent of his first goal in the United shirt. Got agitated with Ashley Williams after the defender almost took his head off clearing the ball.

Substitutions

Ryan Giggs – 6

With 10 minutes to make an impact, the veteran winger replaced Rooney and kept the play flowing and made some incisive passes and delightful flicks to keep up the tempo of play. Had an audacious attempt on goal go wide as he tried to catch Vorm off his guard.

Paul Scholes – 6

Came on for only 5 minutes of normal time to go and had a typical game spreading the play with his excellent vision and also ended up getting booked for his trademark late tackle.

Javier Hernández – 5

Came on for the ineffective Valencia and had an excellent chance to win the match but was let down by his touch.