Manchester United rounded off their Premier League campaign in style, winning their last match 3-1 against Bournemouth on Tuesday night.
Goals from captain Wayne Rooney, Marcus Rashford, and Ashley Young gave Manchester United a comfortable victory. However, the celebratory mood was a bit marred due to an own goal by centre-back Chris Smalling.
Although this win does not ensure a top four finish for the Red Devils, it assures them of direct qualification to the Europa League group stage. Here are the player ratings from the match.
Player Ratings
Manchester United
David De Gea (6/10): Barely had to do anything during the entire match. Could do nothing to stop the goal that Manchester United conceded in the end, as his own teammate turned the ball into the net.
Cameron Borthwick-Jackson (6.5): Put in a steady shift on the left flank against Bournemouth. He made a couple of tackles and a couple of successful dribbles to cap off a memorable night.
Daley Blind (6.5): Was not troubled too much by the Bournemouth defence. Looked comfortable both on the ball and off it.
Chris Smalling (6.5): Was calm and collective throughout the match except for one moment of madness, which cost Manchester United their clean sheet. Won as many as five aerial duels on the night.
Antonio Valencia (7): Executed his role perfectly, to keep Marc Pugh quiet on the right side. Also made a wonderful run down the right flank to set Marcus Rashford up for the second goal.
Michael Carrick (6): Put in a steeady performance as the team’s holding midfielder. Had an incredible pass success rate of 94 per cent, playing a total of 72 accurate passes.
Anthony Martial (7): Looked lively on the left flank, in spite of being dispossessed four times. His good link-up play with Juan Mata set Rooney up for the first goal.
Juan Mata (7): Seems to be coming out of his patchy form this season. Had a good game, in which he played as many as 59 successful passes, with 92 per cent accuracy.
Wayne Rooney (9.5): Hardly put a foot wrong during the game. He seems to be adjusting well to his midfield role, as he played a key role in the buildup to all three of Manchester United’s goals.
Jesse Lingard (6): Had a quiet game on the night. However, he was not shy of getting stuck in when the situation demanded.
Marcus Rashford (7): The youngster is proving his maturity with every match. Not only did he score from the only shot he took during the entire game, but he also played a wonderful dummy to let Wayne Rooney open the score for Manchester United.
Substitutes: Young (6.5); Herrera (6); Depay (5.5).
AFC Bournemouth
Adam Federici (6.5): Had a difficult game on the night, but did well to pull off a couple of great saves.
Charlie Daniels (6): Struggled to deal with the constant threat of Anthony Martial on the right flank.
Steve Cook (5.5): Put a few good tackles during the game, but he could have also cost his team yet another goal for a rash tackle on Mata inside the box.
Tommy Elphick (6): Was strong in the aerial challenges, but started to fade out as the game progressed.
Simon Francis (6.5): Was the pick of the Bournemouth defenders on the night. Had a difficult time against Martial, but made six successful tackles and won five aerial duels during the game.
Marc Pugh (6): Was kept in check throughout the match by Valencia. However, the 29 year old did not play a single wrong pass during the game.
Ryan Gosling (5.5): Was largely unable to exert pressure on the opposition midfielders. Managed to get one shot away, but that too was off target.
Andrew Surman (5.5): Was reduced to a hapless figure in the middle of the park, as Carrick and Rooney ran the show.
Matt Ritchie (5): Had no influence whatsoever on the right flank, as Borthwick-Jackson and Martial completely bossed him.
Joshua King (6): Did the hard work well, by closing down the United defenders. However, he was not so great on the ball, being dispossessed thrice.
Callum Wilson (5.5): Was kept quiet by the Manchester United defenders for most parts of the game. The only shot he managed to get away during the match was also blocked by Smalling.
Substitutes: Gradel (6); Grabham (6); Afobe (5.5).
Wayne Rooney evolving with time
Intelligent players can often adapt to different roles on the pitch, and Manchester United captain Wayne Rooney certainly showed his football aptitude on Tuesday night by putting in a stellar performance from the middle of the park.
Rooney played most of his life as a striker. Hence, there was a lot of doubt surrounding Van Gaal’s decision to play him as a central midfielder, as the chief creating force. However, the England captain seems to have adapted well to the role, as he brought back memories of the great Paul Scholes with his diagonal, aerial through balls in the game. Rooney was almost playing the role of a quarter-back in American football.
