Ajax 0-2 Man United: Player ratings

Simon Peach 01:08 25/05/2017
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  • Manchester United pulled together in their city’s time of darkness, showing no little skill and spirit to overcome Ajax and win the Europa League.

    Less than 48 hours after a terror attack killed 22 people and injured many more at Manchester Arena, the club’s fans, players and staff stood unbowed in Stockholm.

    Football seems trivial at a time of such pain but United embraced the spirit shown in spades by the city they represent, with Jose Mourinho’s men winning the Europa League as goals from Paul Pogba and Henrikh Mkhitaryan secured a 2-0 triumph against Ajax.

    Here we rate the performances of each player in Stockholm.

    AJAX (4-3-3)

    Andre Onana: Recovered from a nervy start with a good save from Valencia but was exposed for the goals 5/10

    Jairo Riedewald: Was vulnerable to the pace of Valencia 6

    Matthijs de Ligt: Also looked uncertain in the early stages but improved 6

    Davinson Sanchez: Troubled by Rashford’s pace early on but adapted as the game went on and showed he can chase back 7

    Joel Veltman: Pulled out of position too easily for United’s opening goal 5

    Hakim Zayech: Effectively shut out of the game by United’s midfield 5

    Lasse Schone: Comfortable on the ball but lacked options and was unable to dictate the game 5

    Davy Klaassen: Showed some determination but struggled to make possession count 5

    Amin Younes: Made some good runs without overly stretching United

    Kasper Dolberg: Quiet and ineffective before being replaced on the hour. 4

    Bertrand Traore: Repeatedly troubled United with some dangerous and tricky runs, and showed lots of hunger, but lacked end product 7

    SUBSTITUTES

    David Neres for Dolberg (63′, 4), Donny van de Beek for Schone (70′, 4), Siem do Jong for Riedewald (82′)

    MAN UNITED (4-2-3-1)

    Sergio Romero: Never troubled by the Ajax forwards 6

    Antonio Valencia: Showed composure in defence and determination getting forward 6

    Chris Smalling: Justified his selection with a solid defensive showing and then set up Mkhitaryan’s goal with one of the many headers he won 8

    Daley Blind: Had the occasional awkward moment against his old club but broke up Ajax play well and was strong in the tackle 7

    Matteo Darmian: A hard-working and solid showing from the Italian 6

    Ander Herrera: Not at his most influential but a quietly effective showing from the Spaniard 6

    Marouane Fellaini: Hardly subtle but highly effective in an advanced role in which he showed strength and won plenty of headers 8

    Juan Mata: Did a lot of good defensive work – one nasty tackle aside – but showed his attacking instincts remain sharp in an all-action display 7

    Paul Pogba: His goal took a fortunate deflection but he commanded the midfield at times and took up good positions 7

    Henrikh Mkhitaryan: Stood out more for his defensive work in the first half but then popped up in the right place to hook in the second goal 7

    Marcus Rashford: Seemed capable of causing significant damage with some good runs early on but was left isolated a lot

    SUBSTITUTES

    Jesse Lingard for Mkhitaryan (74′, 6), Anthony Martial for Rashford (84′), Wayne Rooney for Juan Mata (90′)

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