West Bromwich Albion 1-2 Manchester United: Player Ratings

Jose Mourinho's Manchester United survived a late scare to sneak home a narrow 2-1 victory over West Bromwich Albion at the Hawthorns on Sunday afternoon.

Romelu Lukaku had put United ahead with a towering header, before Jesse Lingard soon doubled the visitors lead. Late in the second-half though, the Baggies intensified their pressure and Gareth Barry managed to cut the deficit - scoring his first top-flight goal since last September in the process.

However, United managed to hold onto all three points and closed the gap on local rivals Manchester City to eleven points. Here are the ratings from this encounter:

West Bromwich Albion

Ben Foster – 6/10

The former United goalkeeper was pretty helpless for the two goals, especially the second one. He was fortunate once when Lukaku almost won the ball during an aerial battle and other than that, did not have to do much of note.

Allan Nyom – 5.5/10

Nyom had his moments when going forward and also delivered an inviting cross in the first-half towards Rondon's path. However, he visibly struggled to isolate a likely Marcus Rashford down the flank.

Ahmed Hegazi – 6.5/10

Against Lukaku, the Egyptian centre-back faced one of his most challenging opponents since coming to England's top-flight. He stood up to the big Belgian well, whilst managing to keep Rashford at bay for sustained periods. Although there was not much he could do to stop it, he inadvertently played a crucial part in the build-up prior to Lingard's goal.

Jonny Evans – 6/10

The former Manchester United defender should have done better during the build-up to Lukaku's goal, but was always going to be second favourite in the air against the 24-year-old. He caused problems at the other end though as the hosts pulled one back after the break, with Chris Brunt's delivery a dangerous one ultimately taken advantage of.

Kieran Gibbs – 6.5/10

The summer signing lost Lukaku for the first goal but in hindsight, it was never his responsibility to mark the forward - who is no fair matchup for the English fullback in comparison. Despite this, he was very positive throughout the game, especially when venturing forward.

Claudio Yacob – 5/10

It was a below average performance from the Argentine, especially after an excellent showing during their goalless draw against Liverpool in midweek. He struggled in front of a far superior United midfield trio, consisting of Nemanja Matic, Ander Herrera and goalscorer Jesse Lingard.

Grzegorz Krychowiak – 6/10

Keeping in mind that he is still working his way back to regaining full fitness, Krychowiak did his best to influence the game but he was not as effective as he was against Liverpool. Matic's imposing presence as well as the terrier-like Herrera did not help his cause, either.

Jake Livermore – 6/10

He kept things simple in midfield as he tends to usually do. However, Livermore never really worried United and had only one tame effort at goal which was also West Brom’s only attempt in the first-half.

James McClean – 6/10

McClean tasted his first defeat of the campaign while starting for West Brom. His commitment and efforts are never doubted but on a couple of occasions, his crossing was inaccurate.

Oliver Burke – 7/10

The youngster definitely had his moments, showing glimpses of his blistering pace and creativity in abundance. He ran at Chris Smalling on a few occasions and then, managed to deliver a wicked cross into the area for Rondon. However, he was guilty of losing the ball in his own half on a few occasions.

Salomon Rondon – 6/10

Rondon started off brightly, demonstrating his strength against United’s central defenders. Despite this though, the pairing of Phil Jones and Smalling managed to keep him quiet for sustained periods, meaning he struggled to fashion any chances of note on David de Gea's goal.

Substitutes

Gareth Barry – 7/10

He replaced Yacob at half-time and impressed. He combined well with Gibbs before the former Arsenal man dragged his effort narrowly wide, before getting on the scoresheet with a close-range finish from a corner, to provide the visitors with a late scare.

Jay Rodriguez - 5/10

He replaced Burke in the 64th minute and did well to get on the end of a handful of good goalscoring chances. With that being said, he should have scored - at least once - especially after heading Brunt's cross agonisingly wide of the mark.

Chris Brunt – 7.5/10

Coming on for Krychowiak with just under 20 minutes to play, Brunt's inclusion changed the game's complexion. He was the hosts' best player on the pitch by a margin and made countless chances off the substitutes' bench - his deliveries from set-pieces were causing United defenders all sorts of havoc in the box.

Manchester United

David de Gea – 6/10

The Spaniard did not have much to do for the majority of this game, but was helpless to deny Barry as his defenders left him rooted to the spot. His distribution was, as usual, accurate and one brilliant goal-kick in particular even played Rashford through on-goal.

Antonio Valencia – 7/10

United’s captain did well to cope with James McClean's pace and persistence throughout the first-half, while equally driving forward with menace. However, he sustained an injury and was unable to complete the match, which is news that comes as an unwelcome blow for United going forward.

Phil Jones – 7/10

He has been impressive this season. On this occasion, he put in a commendable performance with some trademark interceptions and crucial tackles too.

Chris Smalling – 7.5/10

Yet another assured display from Smalling as he kept Rondon at bay, outmuscling and over-powering him in most duels. His last-ditch tackles also kept the Baggies from posing many threats until the latter stages of the game.

Ashley Young – 6.5/10

Luke Shaw has impressed in his two latest outings but Young proved that he still offers that unrivalled delivery. The veteran had his hands full with Oliver Burke but ultimately did his job well, while even producing a handful of decent crosses in the early exchanges to set the tone for United's attacking outlet going forward.

Nemanja Matic – 7.5/10

With every passing game, Matic’s importance in the side is becoming increasingly evident. In the absence of Paul Pogba, the Serbia international is having to shoulder more responsibilities - every opposition attack has to go through him, while equally counter-attacks start with him in midfield too.

Ander Herrera – 5.5/10

Although he did lack composure at times, Herrera went about his job well - snapping at Krychowiak whenever the midfielder, on-loan from PSG, was in possession. This was beneficial as it limited his space and time to do anything significant with the ball at his feet.

Juan Mata – 6/10

Mata was far from at his best, but did cover plenty of ground and attempted a handful of dribbles and deft flicks especially in the opposition third. He earned an assist, creating Lingard's goal with a nice pass towards the Englishman's path.

West Bromwich Albion v Manchester United - Premier League

Jesse Lingard – 7.5/10

Constantly looking to get involved, Lingard continued his good run of form. Linking up with both Mata and Marcus Rashford on a number of occasions, he was constantly in search of getting United forward in attack. His goal was the perfect birthday present for him, regardless of the fortune involved.

Marcus Rashford – 6.5/10

The youngster started off brightly but fizzled out in the latter stages. His superb clipped cross for Lukaku's opener was inch-perfect and despite being booed by sections of the home crowd, he dealt with them in the best way possible.

Romelu Lukaku – 7/10

Another match, another goal for the big Belgian. Despite starting off in sluggish fashion, he silenced his critics when rising above both Evans and Gibbs to head home from close-range.

Substitutes

Marcos Rojo - 5/10

Rojo replaced Antonio Valenica in the 64th minute. After being introduced, he was continuously tested by Nyom and was caught out defensively in the build-up to West Brom's first and only goal.

Scott McTominay - 6/10

Brought on in the 85th minute to shut things down, the 21-year-old did exactly that in the closing stages.

Anthony Martial – N/A

He replaced Rashford but had little time to make any significant impact on the game, which finished with a nervy ending.