Manchester United Player Ratings vs Middlesbrough: 7/10 Pogba, Sancho stand out; Ronaldo gets 4

Paul Pogba was impressive on his return, but Cristiano Ronaldo was sub-par as Manchester United got ousted from the FA Cup by Middlesbrough on Friday.

Manchester United started the game strongly, with Jadon Sancho coming close to scoring in the second minute. The hosts should have taken the lead in the 20th minute after Paul Pogba won a penalty by drawing a foul on the edge of the box, but Cristiano Ronaldo missed the resulting spot-kick, not even keeping his effort on target.

Manchester United did go ahead shortly after though, as Sancho scored from close range after being found by Bruno Fernandes. After that, Manchester United had plenty of chances to double their advantage, only for poor finishing to let them down time after time.

Taking advantage of the Red Devils’ profligacy, Middlesbrough grabbed the initiative, albeit controversially so, by levelling things up in the 64th minute. Matt Crooks bundled the ball into the back of the net from point-blank range after being fed by Duncan Watmore, who had handled the ball before lobbing it over Dean Henderson.

Manchester United still had enough opportunities to prevent the game from going into extra time – let alone penalties – with Bruno Fernandes notably missing the target with an open goal at his mercy. The game eventually went to a shootout, where everyone except Anthony Elanga converted their spot-kicks, meaning Middlesbrough knocked Manchester United out of the FA Cup. The Hard Tackle now runs the rule over Ralf Rangnick’s men.

Dean Henderson: 6/10

Making a rare appearance for Manchester United, Henderson had a largely quiet evening, although one save to deny Matt Crooks stood out. He could not have done much to deny Crooks for his goal, but it should not have stood anyway, as Duncan Watmore had handled the ball in the build-up. Henderson could not save any penalty during the shootout.

Diogo Dalot: 6/10

The two Manchester United full-backs were constant outlets down their respective flanks. But Dalot and Shaw failed to make their presence count in the final third as much as they could have, even though they played five key passes each. The Portuguese international did convert his penalty during the shootout.

Raphael Varane: 6.5/10

Varane was not made to work hard as Manchester United dominated most of the game. The French international looked comfortable whenever Middlesbrough pressed high up the pitch, winning each of the nine duels he contested while completing three interceptions. He also helped build play up from the back efficiently, completing 87% of his attempted passes.

Harry Maguire: 6/10

The Middlesbrough attackers hardly put Maguire under pressure in the game, but he took the initiative to win balls higher up the pitch. The Manchester United captain won 11 duels while completing five interceptions and two clearances. But he should have played to the whistle instead of leaving Matt Crooks open, even though the goal should have been chalked off.

Luke Shaw: 6/10

Shaw saw plenty of the ball throughout the game and played five key passes, the joint-highest in the game. But his chance-creation was still minimal, with some of his touches being sloppy. The Englishman did not have much work to do defensively but still completed three tackles. His creative output needs to improve.

Paul Pogba: 7/10

Making a long-awaited return to the team, Pogba looked in good touch and pulled the strings smartly without foraying much towards the Middlesbrough box. The Frenchman also won the penalty that Ronaldo failed to convert midway through the first half. Pogba’s influence started waning a little as time wore on, but this performance was a step in the right direction.

Scott McTominay: 6/10

McTominay was largely solid in the middle of the park, although his output on the ball should have been better. The Scot did play two key passes but also lost the ball carelessly too many times. He smartly held his ground behind the ball, winning 18 duels while completing four clearances.

Marcus Rashford: 5/10

It was a game to forget for Rashford, who had two great chances to continue his recent solid run. But the English international fluffed his lines horribly, particularly from the opening created by Jadon Sancho. He was rightly taken off for Anthony Elanga.

Bruno Fernandes: 6/10

Bruno Fernandes was Manchester United’s creator-in-chief and grabbed the assist for Sancho’s strike. But the Portuguese international gets his rating docked for missing two clear-cut chances to score, one of which had an open goal at his mercy. He converted his penalty during the shootout but should have won the game for his team in regulation time.

Jadon Sancho: 7/10

Sancho returned to the starting lineup after becoming available again. The English international missed a decent chance in the second minute but made amends midway through the first half by breaking the deadlock from close range. He even created a great opening for Rashford, only for his compatriot to miss from close range.

Cristiano Ronaldo: 4/10

Ronaldo mustered ten shots during the game, with none of them putting Joe Lumley under much pressure. The worst of all his efforts was his ridiculous fluffing of a penalty, with Ronaldo missing the target entirely. Some of his touches were also sloppy and the only saving grace was the conversion of spot-kick during the shootout.

SUBSTITUTES

Anthony Elanga: 6/10

Introduced in place of Rashford, Elanga was a bright spark in the final 40 minutes. But the young Swede missed his spot-kick during the shootout, which sent Manchester United out of the FA Cup.

Fred: 7/10

Fred replaced a tiring Pogba in the 82nd minute and continued from where the French international had left off. The Brazilian midfielder stitched play together smartly and even played two key passes. Fred later turned up to convert his penalty during the shootout.

Phil Jones: 6.5/10

Introduced in place of Varane, Jones was a solid customer at the back, completing two clearances and winning two duels. He missed an effort from close range, but the ball came at him rapidly from a Bruno Fernandes mishit.

Juan Mata: N/A

Mata kept things together during his cameo in extra time but could not create a game-changing opening. The Spaniard was at hand to convert his spot-kick during the shootout.