Sevilla 0-0 Man United: Player ratings as David De Gea scores a 9 but Alexis Sanchez a 4

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  • Man-of-the-match David De Gea

    David De Gea’s exceptional display saved Manchester United’s blushes as Jose Mourinho’s men somehow escaped with a goalless draw from a match dominated by Sevilla.

    Wednesday’s trip to the Estadio Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan was the Red Devils’ first Champions League last-16 match since 2014, but their performance in this first leg was one to forget.

    United struggled to contain Vincenzo Montella’s Sevilla throughout a one-sided contest, with De Gea required to produce a string of saves – including an incredible first-half stop to deny Luis Muriel – as proceedings somehow ended 0-0.

    Here, we rate the players from both sides.

    SEVILLA XI

    Sergio Rico 6 – Had little to do as United struggled to fashion shots on target. A harmless McTominay effort in the first-half was his only save.

    Clement Lenglet 6 – Outmatched and out-muscled on the occasions he was one v one against Lukaku and missed a good headed-opportunity.

    Gabriel Mercado 7 – Panicked a little against Lukaku early on but grew into the challenge. Strong in the air and powerful in the tackle.

    Jesus Navas 7 – Shut down Sanchez – with fast feet rather than those hypnotic eyes. He should have been converted to right-back earlier in his career.

    Sergio Escudero 6 – Decked more times than a garden but was a driving force. A far cry from the meek figure before Montella’s arrival.

    Steven N’Zonzi 8 – A perfect DM. Smart decision making, read the game well, was never out of position and recycled possession efficiently.

    Ever Banega 7 – The Banega and N’Zonzi midfield pairing is such a sweet balance. Great work rate from the Argentine and created 10 chances.

    Pablo Sarabia 6 – Hard to think of a better value for money signing in recent years than Sarabia for €1m but he didn’t replicate his recent great form.

    Franco Vazquez 7 – Has a tendency to drop either a masterclass performance or a disaster but was more of the former with his silky touches.

    Luis Muriel 6 – A monster save from a De Gea or a hideous miss from Muriel? Probably a bit of both for the man brought in for Ben Yedder.

    Angel Correa 6 – Such a frustrating figure. Exploited space occupied by Valencia’s ventures forward but would overcomplicate his next move.

    SUBSTITUTES 

    Sandro Ramirez N/A – Was brought on for Muriel in the final five minutes but wouldn’t warrant a rating anyway wearing the No99 shirt.

    Guido Pizarro N/A – Introduced in the final minute for Banega as Sevilla chased a winner.

    Steven N'Zonzi battles for the ball with Alexis SanchezSteven N’Zonzi battles for the ball with Alexis Sanchez

    MAN UNITED XI

    David De Gea 9 – Man United might not play perfect football for Pogba but they do for De Gea. Otherworldly stop to deny Muriel, one of eight saves.

    Antonio Valencia 6 – Lack of communication between Valencia and Smalling was a real worry. He struggled to grip Correa as well.

    Chris Smalling 4 – Watch the clip of Muriel’s header and his positional sense is laughably bad. Zero self-awareness.

    Victor Lindelof 4 – The optimism from his Huddersfield performance dissipated quickly. Bullied at times and disappeared positionally.

    Ashley Young 5 – Roy Keane has pointed out in the past if Young is in your back four you will struggle. United struggled.

    Nemanja Matic 5 – For as influential as the Serb was at the beginning of the season, he’s equally as ineffectual now. Composed passes…to the opposition.

    Ander Herrera 6 – Actually began the game really well on a rare start but was then forced off after 15 minutes through injury.

    Scott McTominay 7 – The pawn in the Pogba v Mourinho chess match but a real knightly performance from the 21-year-old.

    Juan Mata 6 – Mourinho still hasn’t made his mind up about United’s right-hand side and the Spaniard did little to aid his cause.

    Alexis Sanchez 4 – The Chilean should have been the ignition United’s season needed but he’s backfired so far. He failed to record a single touch in the Sevilla penalty area during the first 45 minutes.

    Romelu Lukaku 4 – For such a physical presence he struggles to hold the ball up. An isolated figure, he is an elite scorer, maybe not an elite striker, though.

    SUBSTITUTES 

    Paul Pogba 6 – One shot, one key pass and one tackle indicates a dire performance but he did some wonderful things on the ball.

    Marcus Rashford 7 – Looked sharp when he arrived for the final 15 minutes for Sanchez. Purposeful and positive.

    Martial N/A – United went for it in the final 10 minutes but Martial didn’t have enough time to make a discernible impact.

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