Manchester United beat Real Sociedad 4-1 in the return leg of their Europa League round of 16 clash, to advance to the quarter-finals of the competition. Here are our player ratings from the game.
(A score of 6 is around average)
Andre Onana 6 – Much better from him. Kept it simple and did not make any mistakes or radiate panic at the back.
Noussair Mazraoui 6 – Calm and assured performance on the right of the three-man defence. Seems to be his best position.
Matthijs de Ligt 6 – Another accomplished display at the back. Picture of consistency at the moment. Conceded an early penalty but it appeared to be a harsh decision.
Ayden Heaven 7.5 – Excellent on his first start for United. Never looked out of place alongside seasoned professionals and didn’t put a foot wrong. Solid defensively and key in keeping Kubo quiet. Also brilliant when playing out from the back. United have a serious player in young Heaven.
Diogo Dalot 8 – Scored a late goal to secure the victory. Improved performance in the wing-back role. Got forward a lot more than he usually does and combined well with Garnacho. Cut out the silly mistakes from his game.
Casemiro 7 – Amazing, as evidenced by the standing ovation the fans afforded him when he came off. Strong and gritty in midfield. Kickstarted the move for United’s first penalty with a sumptuous pass. The Brazilian rolled back the years tonight.
Bruno Fernandes 9 – Hat-trick hero! Scored twice from the penalty spot and produced a stunning finish to send United through to the quarter-finals of the Europa League.
Patrick Dorgu 8 – Breathtaking. Constantly provided the overlap and sent in several crosses into the box. Worked his socks off and won a penalty for United. He could have won a second penalty but he demonstrated good sportsmanship, telling the referee it wasn’t a foul inside the box. Also won multiple fouls.
Alejandro Garnacho 6 – Worked hard down the right and looked to find his teammates with cut-backs. Very involved in attacking play and had a few shots at goal during the opening 45 minutes.
Joshua Zirkzee 8.5 – Scintillating. Some silky footwork and ran the show for United. There was a moment in the first half when he beat two or three defenders with some fantastic skills before he squared the ball into the path of Hojlund, who narrowly missed the target. Could have got on the score sheet himself in the second half but just lacked the finishing touch. Still outstanding despite not finding the back of the net. He’s really growing in a United shirt.
Rasmus Hojlund 6 – Much better than he has been over the past few weeks. Won the penalty from which United restored parity and nearly scored but sent his effort just wide. Registered an assist for Dalot’s late strike, to make it 4-1.
Substitutes
Toby Collyer 6 – Decent when he came on. Passing was good and he helped the hosts get over the line.
Christian Eriksen 5 – On the pitch for a short time but he fired a shot late on that was gathered by Alex Remiro.
Featured image Carl Recine via Getty Images
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Derick Kinoti
Derick Kinoti is a football writer at The Peoples Person who has covered Manchester United and the game extensively for many years. He is a keen analyst with expertise in SEO and journalism standards. Derick is convinced Wayne Rooney is the true GOAT and won’t hear otherwise!
