Manchester United have continued their good form and took Sunderland to the cleaners at the Old Trafford on Saturday. They put three past a helpless Sunderland defense and also kept a clean sheet. They are now at the top of the Barclays Premier League table and are full of confidence.
Here are the player ratings for the match
Manchester United:
David de Gea (3.5): Made a series of saves in the first half and bossed his area throughout the game.
Antonio Valencia (3): Was shaky in defense at times but provided a lot of width and pace in the attacking front.
Chris Smalling (3): Was usually very solid but was stretched and exposed at times by the likes of Fabio Borini.
D Blind (3): Not very energetic in defense and was substituted in the second half after a clash of heads.
Matteo Darmian (3.5): The youngster continues to impress even as he was playing down the wrong flank to fill in for Luke Shaw. Solid in defense.
Michael Carrick (3): Not really solid in defense as he let Sunderland past too easily. But was accurate all night with his balls to the attacking players.
Morgan Schneiderlin (3): A settled performance alongside Carrick. Could not provide much going forward.
Wayne Rooney (3): Scored a goal in the Premier League but looked far from his best. Badly in need of confidence.
Juan Mata (4): Scored a goal and assisted two. Was in good form in front of the Sunderland defense but was not great with set piece delivery.
Memphis Depay (3.5): Still needs to work on his passing but scored his first Premier League goal for the Red Devils.
Anthony Martial (4): Failed to provide width or pace down the flanks or through the middle up front. Still needs to work on his positioning.
SUBS:
Bastian Schweinsteiger (3)
Phil Jones (3)
Ashley Young (3.5)
Sunderland:
Costel Pantilimon (3): Was nervous at the start but settled in well to deny the United attackers. Could not do much to stop any of the goals.
Billy Jones (2.5): Had to be at his best defensively but afforded too much space down his flank when found asking.
Younes Kaboul (2.5): Started in a solid fashion but was always under pressure and needs to work a lot on his defensive abilities.
John O’Shea (2.5): Needed to use all his experience but was not effective in stopping United put three past his goal.
Patrick van Aanholt (2.5): Needs to far more disciplined in defense but was full of energy in attack down his flank.
Yann M’Vila (3): A good performance in mid-field but did not get enough help from his team mates around.
Lee Cattermole (3.5): A solid performance pressing the United mid-fielders and not giving them any time. Will be un happy to have let the home team score thrice.
Ola Toivonen (2.5): Did not provide much in the attack and also missed a chance at the start of second half.
Adam Johnson (2): Hardly made any impact on the game before being subbed off at half time.
Jeremain Lens (2.5): Showed glimpses of his pace but needs to more productive with the ball. Had a shot saved by de Gea in the first half.
Fabio Borini (2.5): Showed the willingness to track back and put the pressure on United. Had little to show for his efforts.
SUBS
Steven Fletcher (2.5)
Sebastian Larsson (2.5)