Old Trafford hailed a new hero on Saturday as Alexis Sanchez ripped promoted Huddersfield to shred in a 2-0 victory in which he calmly converted his own missed penalty.
The January addition from Arsenal – with Armenia playmaker Henrikh Mkhitaryan going the other way in exchange – buzzed all over the pitch and got the goal his performance deserved in the second half, converting a spot-kick he won himself for a foul by Michael Hefele.
United had been frustrated throughout the first half by the team who shocked them in October, prior to Belgium striker Romelu Lukaku’s excellent opener on 55 minutes.
Here are the player ratings from Old Trafford…
MAN UNITED
David De Gea – 6: The Spain No1 made a grand total of zero saves in an effortless afternoon.
Antonio Valencia – 6: Bossed his right flank in usual fashion. Provided width on the overlap as United’s three attacking midfielders cut inside.
Chris Smalling – 7: Kept his place after the Spurs debacle and justified manager Jose Mourinho’s faith. On this form, Phil Jones might have a wait to get his place back.
Marcos Rojo – 6: Showed usual aggression whenever he was called into action during his first top-flight start since January 1. His seven interceptions was the joint-highest recorded by any player on the pitch.
Luke Shaw – 7: Ever willing on the front foot, although he did get caught out for Huddersfield’s only moment of true attacking intent just before the interval.
Nemanja Matic – 6: Denied a rest yet again, despite Huddersfield coming into the fixture with one win in their last nine Premier League games. This was a perfect 26th start from 26 top-flight fixtures for the summer addition from Chelsea.
Scott McTominay – 6: A tidy display by ‘mini Matic’, who was also denied a clear first-half penalty after being wiped out by Monaco loanee Terence Kongolo. His passing accuracy of 91.5 per cent will cheer Mourinho, an avid supporter of his talents.
Jesse Lingard – 7: The understanding between himself and Alexis Sanchez is already evident. Denied another collector’s item of a goal, his beautiful ball control in the middle of the park putting him through and drawing a great low save from Jonas Lossl.
Juan Mata – 7: Rewarded the decision to hand him a contract extension by being the architect of everything good for United. Delightful first touch teed up Sanchez for his penalty. In total, produced a leading four key passes. Deserved his standing ovation when replaced on 71 minutes. Booked.
Alexis Sanchez – 8: This is why United went the extra mile to snatch the Chile superstar from Manchester City’s grasp. Marked Old Trafford debut with a goal, was fouled a leading six times, produced a top-rated nine dribbles and even led the way with five tackles of his own. United have badly missed a magician of his standard. Booked.
Romelu Lukaku – 7: The whole team celebrated with the Belgium centre forward when his sharp volley awarded him a second goal in seven Premier League games. Should thrive, once again, with Lingard, Mata and Sanchez’s supply.
.@Alexis_Sanchez has scored his first goal for @ManUtd! #Alexis7 pic.twitter.com/vbfu71yy6z
— NBC Sports Soccer (@NBCSportsSoccer) February 3, 2018
SUBS
Paul Pogba – 6: Were gasps when the teamsheets were handed out and Pogba wasn’t present. Later, had nondescript run-out from 65 minutes.
Marcus Rashford – 6: Did very little with his 20 minutes on the pitch, despite get dispossessed a joint-second most times (2) for United.
Anthony Martial – N/A: Replaced Lukaku late on. Had a few almost moments.
