Manchester United were shut-out for a 1-0 defeat at the hands of Newcastle in a Premier League clash on Sunday night.
Matt Ritchie’s strike after Jojo Shelvey’s free kick provided the lone score in the contest, with United’s defence again lacking.
Here, we rate the United players on their effort at St James Park.
RATINGS
David de Gea – Made a sprawling save from Jonjo Shelvey early on, but could do little about the goal. 7
Phil Jones – Typically threw himself around, put his body on the line and made some key interceptions, but lacked in composure at times. 6
Chris Smalling – Was lucky a tackle on the edge of the box on Dwight Gayle didn’t draw a foul as it could have easily resulted in a penalty. His booking for diving also set up the free-kick for Newcastle’s goal. 4
Antonio Valencia – Might have prevented the goal if he had drifted inside on the free-kick. Was later booked for a dangerous high kick. 6
Ashley Young – His delivery from set pieces left a lot to be desired and his defending at the back was far from ideal. 6
Paul Pogba – The midfielder was a ghost throughout, failing to make any sort of impact. Recognising that, Jose Mourinho replaced him immediately after United conceded. 5
Jesse Lingard – Had some decent link-ups with Alexis Sanchez and Romelu Lukaku, but nothing to write home about as his form has continued to slide. 6
Nemanja Matic – Sent a fantastic pass to Anthony Martial in the first half that the Frenchman should have scored from, but was overrun in midfield at times. 6
Alexis Sanchez – Appeared to be on the verge of breaking through on multiple occasions with weaving runs, but couldn’t pull a goal out of the bag. 7
Romelu Lukaku – Failed to find the back of the net again, but delivered some clever passes. He wasn’t the reason United drew a blank. 7
Anthony Martial – Wasted a clear opportunity after Matic dropped a sensational pass to him on the run, but credit also goes to Martin Dubravka for sending it away. Later had two chances from point-blank range and nailed the defenders in front of goal both times. 5
SUBSTITUTES
Juan Mata – Had little time to settle in but his passing was slick enough. 6
Michael Carrick – Not the type of player to bring on when you’re chasing and he couldn’t impose himself. 6
