Manchester United just about kept their hopes of a top four finish in the Premier League alive with a nervy 2-1 win over West Ham United.
A pair of penalties from Paul Pogba, one won by Juan Mata and the other by Anthony Martial secured all three points for the Reds at Old Trafford.
Felipe Anderson had levelled proceedings at 1-1 in the 49th minute to out the hosts under pressure before Michail Antonio hit the crossbar.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side though took the lead from the spot with ten minutes to play and held on for the victory.
Here, we rate the performances of United’s players.
STARTING XI (4-2-3-1)
David De Gea 6 – Used his feet well once in the first half. Poor throw out led to the equaliser. Should’ve done better with his distribution. World class save to deny Antonio.
Diogo Dalot 6 – Got forward often enough but his delivery lacked quality. Struggled to keep track of Anderson when he drifted in.
Chris Smalling 6 – Probably played the best pass of the game from which Rashford forced a great save from Fabianski. Decent display at the back.
Phil Jones 5 – An embattled performance from the defender but makes things look far more labourious than they should be.
Marcos Rojo 2 – Always a liability in defence. Played out of position and it’s no surprise that he was often, well, out of position. Looked over his shoulder three times but still didn’t pick up Anderson at the far post for the goal. Bizarre.
Fred 5 – Showed good energy and impressed at times, driving from midfield. However, tried to do too much at times and still hasn’t come to terms with the physicality of the Premier League. Easily brushed off the ball on a couple of occasions.
Paul Pogba 6 – Scored both penalties but was ponderous in possession and surrendered it too easily too many times.
Jesse Lingard 4 – Ran his socks off as always but a United player needs to offer more than that. Average at best.
Juan Mata 3 – Won the penalty but he’s looked past his best years for some time and this was further evidence. Off the pace and should’ve been off the pitch sooner than the 56th minute.
Anthony Martial 5 – Some good moments mixed in with several frustrating ones. Undoubted talent but showed again his lack of poise. Did well to win the second penalty.
Romelu Lukaku 4 – Ran the channels reasonably well in the first half before he simply ran out of ideas. Far too many aimless crosses confirmed that.
SUBS
Marcus Rashford 7 (56′) – Made an instant impact off the bench, forcing a good save from Fabianski, heading over the bar and then playing the flick that sent Martial through on goal.
Mason Greenwood N/A (75′) – Didn’t have enough time to make an impact on the right wing.
Andreas Pereira N/A (75′) – Came on at right-back to bomb forward and deliver crosses but soon had to defend United’s lead.
