Manchester United came from behind to beat Viktoria Plzen 2-1 in the Europa League.Here are our player ratings from the game.
(A score of 6 is around average)
Andre Onana 1 – Another howler. His attempted pass to De Ligt was intercepted and in the blink of an eye, the ball was into the back of his own net. Also very shaky during the opening 45 minutes, which saw him wipe out Casemiro after missing an easy punch.
Nousssair Mazraoui 6 – Solid performance in the right-centre-back role. Crucial tackle to put an end to a dangerous Plzen attack in the second half.
Matthijs de Ligt 7 – Perhaps United’s best defender. Swept up nicely, made excellent choices in possession and barely put a foot wrong. Easy to see why Amorim likes him.
Lisandro Martinez 6 – An OK performance. Nothing to rave about.
Diogo Dalot 3 – He’s been struggling over the past few weeks and it seems his troubles remain ongoing. Didn’t seem any better when restored to his favoured right side. Sloppy in possession at times and barely offered anything going forward.
Casemiro 6 – Kept it nice and simple in the middle of the park. A secure and assured display from the Brazilian.
Bruno Fernandes 7 – Very involved in proceedings. Tested the Plzen goalkeeper in the first half with what was United’s first shot on target. Brilliant cross to Hojlund but the Dane was unable to connect with it. Quick thinking for the free-kick that led to United’s winner.
Tyrell Malacia 5 – Slowly building up his fitness. A mostly quiet first half. Didn’t offer much in terms of attacking play. OK defensively.
Amad Diallo 8 – Looked good higher up the pitch. Like most of his teammates, endured a slow first half but picked it up after Plzen broke the deadlock. Superb work to beat the opposition defenders before Hojlund bubbled the ball in for United’s equalising strike. Almost got a second assist when he found Mount inside the box but the England midfielder could not get on the score sheet. Certainly United’s main source of threat.
Marcus Rashford 2 – Poor performance. Offered nothing going forward. In fact, some of United’s attacks broke down with him due to his poor decision-making. Received a booking for a reckless foul and was lucky not to be shown a second yellow card. Rightfully the first player to be taken off by Ruben Amorim.
Joshua Zirkzee 4 – Tried to drop deep and hold up the ball but he just wasn’t very effective at it. Several loose first touches and bizarre passing choices, which made it hard for United to get into rhythm in the final third.
Substitutes
Rasmus Hojlund 9 – Injected some much-needed impetus to United’s attacking line when he came on. Looked to stretch the Plzen defenders with his runs. At the right place at the right time to tap the ball in. Excellent again for the second, as he shook off his marker to slot the ball in.
Mason Mount 7 – A bright spark! Got into the right areas and had at least two very good opportunities to score but he was thwarted by Martin Jedlička on every occasion.
Antony 6 – Stated the move that led to United restoring parity.
Alejandro Garnacho 5 – On the pitch for a limited period. Assumed the left-wing-back role.
Manuel Ugarte 5 – Also on the pitch for a very short time.
Featured image Gabriel Kuchta 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!
