Having gone into this game 14 points behind Manchester City after the Premier League leaders won on Saturday, Manchester United knew that any residual title hopes resided in whether they could avoid slipping up.
A visit to second-bottom West Brom seemed like the perfect match, but this is the same West Brom side that held Liverpool to a draw at Anfield in midweek. However, United raced to a 2-0 lead thanks to first-half goals from Romelu Lukaku and Jesse Lingard, before holding on for a 2-1 win after withstanding some late pressure.
Here are the ratings for both sides.
RATINGS
WEST BROM
Ben Foster – 6
Could do nothing for either goal, and was particularly unfortunate on the second, when he seemed to have Lingard’s shot covered only for a deflection to take it away from him. Otherwise was largely untroubled.
Allan Nyom – 6
Rashford and then Martial enjoyed some good fortune against the West Brom right-back, but he held his own more often than not. United’s opener came down his side, however, with Rashford afforded the time and space to cross.
Ahmed Hegazi – 6
Had an engaging duel with United youngster Marcus Rashford, in which he largely came out on top. It was unfortunate that his attempt to block Lingard’s goalbound shot gave United their second goal.
Jonny Evans – 7
Largely martialled the West Brom defence well, although questions will be asked as to why neither he nor Hegazi picked up Lukaku for United’s opener, with the striker pulling onto Gibbs instead.
Kieran Gibbs – 6
Did a poor job defending Lukaku for United’s goal, although it was a mismatch that the striker ruthlessly exploited. A quiet performance otherwise.
Livermore – 6
Another solid but unspectacular performance from Livermore. He was bypassed too easily on a couple of occasions when United broke in the second-half, but otherwise followed the brief of sitting back and absorbing the pressure.
Claudio Yacob – 5
Was hooked off at half-time as West Brom looked to gain control in midfield, which was telling. There are days when Yacob is West Brom’s best player, but this wasn’t one of them.
Grzegorz Krychowiak – 6
Krychowiak is growing in confidence under Alan Pardew, but he still hasn’t been able to have the impact that was expected of him when he arrived from PSG. This was another game in which he looked steady, but didn’t do much.
Oliver Burke – 6
A first Premier League start for the highly-touted Burke, and he showed his potential at times. He’s still raw, and there were times when it was easy to spot why West Brom have been cautious with him, but getting on the pitch will have been a boost.
Salomon Rondon – 6
Kept quiet by United’s defence, until a late burst in which he made a nuisance of himself. Even then, however, he didn’t look like he could make his usual impact in front of goal, although in his defence he barely had a chance.
James McClean – 6
Never really looked a threat in attack, although he defended well, which must have been the original plan until West Brom went behind. Failed to take advantage of Marcos Rojo’s apparent shakiness, letting the substitute off on a couple of occasions.
SUBSTITUTES
Gareth Barry (Yacob, 46th min) – 7
Was a surprise introduction at half-time, but it was understandable given West Brom’s midfield had barely been in the game up until then. Was in the right place at the right time to score and bring the home side back into the game.
Jay Rodriguez (Burke, 65th min) – 6
Brought on to offer more to West Brom’s attack, but he barely had a sniff of goal.
Chris Brunt (Krychowiak, 72nd min) – 7
His arrival changed the game. That trademark left-footed delivery led to West Brom’s goal and a couple of other half-chances, and in general the hosts were much more of a threat once he came on.
Barry gave West Brom hope of snatching a point.
MANCHESTER UNITED
David de Gea – 7
Had little to do – most of the saves he had to make were routine. Could do nothing about West Brom’s goal, which was poked home from close range.
Antonio Valencia – 7
Was solid throughout, quelling any West Brom attacking threat down his flank. Didn’t get up to join United’s attack as much as usual, although that may have been by design. Went off injured, which will be a worry for Mourinho.
Phil Jones – 7
Looked assured in defence, keeping Rondon quiet throughout the game. When West Brom ramped up the pressure, Jones dealt with the set pieces and aerial attack extremely well.
Chris Smalling – 6
Alongside Jones, did a good job of keeping West Brom’s attack in check for most of the game, and stood firm when the pressure was on. Took over the armband when Valencia went off.
Ashley Young – 6
It was a rare off game for Young this season. Although he was solid defensively, in attack he was below his usual level, failing to pick the right pass or cross on more than one occasion.
Ander Herrera – 6
Had an untroubled first-half, moving the ball on well as United dominated. Of the two midfielders, Herrera looked less uncomfortable when United came under pressure, reading West Brom’s attacks well and protecting his defence.
Nemanja Matic – 6
Had a solid opener, with usual disciplined passing and positioning, but seemed overrun when West Brom stepped up the pressure at the end. Lost the flight of the ball on the corner that led to West Brom’s goal.
Juan Mata – 7
Took advantage of the freedom afforded him in the first-half, seeing a lot of the ball and popping up all across United’s attacking line.
Jesse Lingard – 7
Was his usual busy self as United’s nominal No.10, linking up well with his fellow attackers. Got a little lucky with his goal, which came via a sizable deflection.
Marcus Rashford – 7
It was his cross that led to United’s opening goal, a pinpoint delivery to pick out Lukaku. Had a decent chance to score himself, in the second-half, and was full of running throughout.
Romelu Lukaku – 8
Scored for the second time in a week, which should silence some of the critics and questions regarding his form. Didn’t really have many chances otherwise,
SUBSTITUTES
Marcos Rojo (Valencia, 65th min) – 6
Was at fault for West Brom’s goal, failing to deal with a corner – watching the ball ricochet off his legs and back into the goalmouth. Nearly scored an own goal, slicing a clearance just wide off his own post.
Anthony Martial (Rashford, 79th min) – N/A
The customary Rashford/Martial swap. United had just conceded when Martial came on and were under the cosh afterwards, leaving the Frenchman with little opportunity to show his usual attacking flair.
Scott McTominay (Lingard, 85th min) – N/A
Brought on to provide more height in United’s side as West Brom launched a late aerial barrage in search of an equaliser.
Lukaku seems to have rediscovered his scoring touch.
