Manchester United knocked EFL Cup holders Manchester City out with a 1-0 victory at Old Trafford courtesy of a goal from attacking midfielder Juan Mata.
The Red Devils ran out 1-0 victors against Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City in a derby that was mostly a dull affair. Man United manager Jose Mourinho will be pleased with his side’s response following Sunday’s heavy defeat to Chelsea, while the pressure continues to mount on Guardiola after a sixth consecutive game without a win.
Here are the TheHardTackle’s player ratings from the closely fought contest at Old Trafford:
Manchester United
David de Gea 6/10: Wasn’t called into action all game, but dealt with balls into the box when he had to.
Antonio Valencia 7/10: Valencia has been one of United’s most consistent performers this season, and was consistent again on Wednesday. The full-back dealt with the ineffective Leroy Sane and then Raheem Sterling with ease, and was positive while going forward.
Marcos Rojo 7/10: Rojo came into the side after last week’s injury to Eric Bailly and seemed at ease thanks to a toothless City attack. The defender made some good clearances and wasn’t troubled too much.
Daley Blind 7/10: Similar to Rojo, Blind was hardly troubled all game. The Dutchman was there when called upon and played the ball out from the defence effectively as we has come to expect.
Luke Shaw 6/10: Shaw found it hard to deal with Jesus Navas and his attacking play also seemed a little disjointed, which is to be expected considering he has hardly played this season. The left-back will be hoping for more starts, but will need to learn to deal with pacey wingers more effectively.
Michael Carrick 6/10: The captain on the night, Carrick offered a calming presence in midfield and shielded the back four well.
Ander Herrera 7.5/10: Perhaps United’s best performer on the night, he was full of energy and looked to get the ball forward whenever he could. The Spaniard also played a key role in United’s goal, shielding the ball from an onrushing Fernando to allow Mata to slot the ball in. The 27-year-old made some smart fouls to break up play.
Juan Mata 7.5/10: Another one of United’s better performers, the Spaniard tried to make things click but couldn’t do much with a team that is still struggling to find an identity. Mata’s positional sense was at the fore again as he made a good late run into the centre of the box and calmly slotted home what turned out to be the winner.
Paul Pogba 5.5/10: The midfielder cannot seem to make things work at the moment. The Frenchman gave the ball away too many times, had a shot saved by Willy Caballero when he really should have scored, and generally looked off the pace in a game that he could have taken control of. He needs more time to settle into this side.
Marcus Rashford 7/10: The youngster was full of running and was constantly a threat to City on the counter. His pace and willingness to run behind the last defender meant that City were always worried about him on the break.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic 6/10: The Swede only gets a 6 because he eventually got an assist, but he was definitely not at the races last night. The veteran constantly gave the ball away with a poor pass or a poor first touch, was outmuscled in most of his duels, and generally looked every bit like a 35-year-old striker. There was even a point where he bent over to catch his breath after a counter attack and he also spent a lot of the time on the floor.
Substitutes
Morgan Schneiderlin 5/10: Brought on as a substitute to help shut up shop, but really didn’t have too much to do.
Jesse Lingard 5/10: Didn’t have enough time to make any impact on the game.
Manchester City
Willy Caballero 6.5/10: Produced a great save to deny Pogba, pushing the ball onto the post from a close range effort. Other than that, didn’t have another save to make all game. His distribution was suspect at times.
Pablo Maffeo 6.5/10: The youngster had to deal with another young player in Marcus Rashford, who was a thorn in his side all game with his pace and direct running. Maffeo made a couple of good clearances in the box and also prevented Rashford from finding Pogba on the counter attack with a great sliding clearance.
Nicolas Otamendi 5.5/10: Made too many fouls and gave the ball away needlessly. Wasn’t his best game at all, and notably looked more shaky once Vincent Kompany went off.
Vincent Kompany 6.5/10: Easily dealt with Zlatan Ibrahimovic and showed City fans exactly what they were missing with his organisational skills at the back. Went off at half-time, and the difference in City’s defensive performance was obvious almost immediately after the game resumed.
Gael Clichy 6/10: Back in the side, Clichy was fairly anonymous all game. The Frenchman didn’t get forward enough, but was there when called upon in defence and was also composed in possession.
Jesus Navas 7/10: Easily City’s best performer, the Spaniard tormented Shaw endlessly in the first half. His delivery also looked a lot better than it has in the past. However, he lost his momentum after being switched to the left flank.
Fernando 5.5/10: Not one of his better performances. The midfielder hardly had an influence in midfield, bar a couple of needless fouls. He was also easily outmuscled by the diminutive Ander Herrera for United’s goal.
Aleix Garcia 6.5/10: The youngster looks like a really classy player and seems very composed on the ball. He also has some skill and good vision as he sprayed the ball out to the flanks with ease. This was just his second game under Guardiola, but fans will definitely be seeing more of him as the season progresses.
Nolito 6/10: Didn’t really have an impact on the game and seemed to find it hard to form an understanding with his teammates. Also openly voiced his frustration with Kelechi Iheanacho after a mistimed pass, and should really have been easier on the youngster considering the difference in their experience levels.
Leroy Sane 5.5/10: Sane was basically anonymous except for a few misplaced passes. The German needs to improve a lot before he is ready to start for City.
Kelechi Iheanacho 5.5/10: Probably the youngster’s worst outing in a City shirt. He misplaced passes, made wrong decisions with the ball — most notably choosing to try and find Leroy Sane instead of taking a shot himself — in what was a disjointed performance overall from the youngster. He will want to forget this game quickly.
Substitutes
Aleksandar Kolarov 6/10: Looked good when he came on, apart from a free kick which he completely skewed over the bar.
Raheem Sterling 5.5/10: Sterling failed to beat his man on almost every occasion that he attempted a take-on. The Englishman was switched from the left to the right, but still found no joy as his crosses consistently hit the first man. To his credit, although he was easily tackled and left chasing shadows, he didn’t give up and constantly tried to make things happen.
Sergio Aguero 6/10: The Argentine dropped deep, went wide, and basically tried whatever he could to make a difference, but ultimately couldn’t do much to change the result.