Dan Gore scores but another midfielder steals the show for the U21s as Ruben Amorim watches on

Manchester United u21s finished off their calendar year with a convincing win over Southampton u21s to move them up into fifth place in the league.

Here are our player ratings for the match. Read the detailed match report of all the action here.

(A score of 6 is around average)

Dermot Mee – 7 – Went long spells of the match with little to do but was always alert when called into question, including a fantastic save at point blank range in the final seconds of the match.

Habeeb Ogunneye – 7 – Got up and down the wing well to combine in attack and win some free kicks and was rarely challenged defensively but could have possibly done a bit better on Southampton’s goal.

Louis Jackson – 7.5 – Defended on the front foot which gave Southampton little hold up top and moved the ball quickly in possession to feed the midfield.

Jack Kingdon – 7 – Another in a long line of good performances where he gave up little in open play for the opposition to work with. But have to knock off marks for letting Dipepa free for the goal from the set piece. A bit of confusion between him and Ogunneye but as the centre back and normally so strong in the air, we’d like to see him take control of the situation and attack the ball.

Sam Murray – 7.5 – Possibly the pick of the bunch at the back, a very fine performance on the ball and defensively. Started the match out with a perfectly weighted through ball to set Wheatley free and then was very solid at the back, impressing particularly with his 1v1 defending to block a number of crosses.

Dan Gore – 8.5 – Got himself into the book within the opening minutes after a poor pass and tackle but it was all quality after that with a goal and two assists. As always, his ability to shift momentum on a dime opened up the midfield for him throughout the match to make driving runs, one of which led to Moorhouse’s first goal. Also took his goal excellently from outside the box.

Tyler Fletcher – 8.5 – Played with a bit more freedom to get up the pitch today and made the most of it to grab a nice goal on the volley. Also displayed a good passing range, setting Sharpe free on the right wing a number of times with pinpoint cross field passes.

Malachi Sharpe – 7.5 – A good performance capped off with an assist but came close to scoring a goal of his own when he hit the post in the first half. Pressed really well, forcing a number of turnovers with steals that were akin to recent exploits by Amad Diallo.

Jack Moorhouse – 9 – The man of the match on the day, he will be sure to have caught the eye of Ruben Amorim with that performance. His close control at speed made him a nightmare for Southampton has he consistently opened them up throughout the match. It started by winning a penalty before ending with one of the goals of the season after dribbling more than 60 yards. When he isn’t driving at the opposition, he was also very smart with pass selection.

Ashton Missin – 7.5 – Almost impossible to stop at times with his change of pace to burst past defenders and provided an assist. Came close to scoring too but it was just tipped over the bar.

Ethan Wheatley – 7 – Scored an excelled goal in the second half while off balance but will still be going away today thinking he should have had more after missing a penalty and another big chance in the first half. Didn’t let the misses get to him though and worked hard with his pressing to help the team and eventually got his goal as a reward.

Substitutes

Finley McAllister – 6.5 – A decent controlled performance, came in and sat in front of the backline while seeing the match out.

Ethan Ennis – 6.5 – Provided his typical direct running off the bench and could have had an assist with a dangerous cross which was just inches away from turned home.

Gabriele Biancheri – 6 – Didn’t get much time on the ball but kept the pressure on up top as he flew into challenges and didn’t let Southampton rest until the final minute.

Jaydan Kamason – 6 – Looked bright when he got the ball down the right wing.

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