Louis van Gaal’s men took all three points from Old Trafford against arch rivals Liverpool in a game of two different halves. The first half went goalless after weak performances from both sides, but 4 goals came in a lively second half that saw Liverpool lose the game 3-1. Manchester United now have taken 10 points from 5 games and are 3rd on the Barclays Premier League table.
Here are the Player Ratings for the Manchester United vs Liverpool Match
Manchester United:
David de Gea (3): Had a calm game with not much to do. But was authoritative in his box when called upon.
Darmian (3): Showed some defensive weakness at times but overall was a solid performance on both sides of the field.
L Shaw (4.5): Was dictating the game on his flank pushing the Liverpool players back every chance he got. Was also solid defensively when needed.
C Smalling (3.5): Did well to deny space for Christian Benteke. Intercepted most of Liverpool’s attacks down the middle.
M Carrick (3): His passing was accurate but was often too slow in getting the ball out of the defense. Was replaced by Schneiderlin in the second half.
Mata (3): Found space in front of the Liverpool back four on many occasions. Provided the ball for Blind’s first goal from the set piece.
D Blind (4): Made some important blocks and interceptions and also cleared a ball off the line from a header from Martin Skrtel. Also scored the first Manchester United goal.
M Fellaini (2): Did not look comfortable in a strikers position. Lacked the composure needed to finish chances but was good in the air in the second half.
B Schweinsteiger (3.5): Was positive in a dull first half but showed his skill and poise in the second half after United took the lead and started controlling the pace of the game.
Ander Herrera (3): Started a bit slowly but grew into the match as it progressed. Scored from the spot after he was brought down by Gomez in the penalty area.
M Depay (2): Was not at his fluid best and looked static for most of the first half. Was replaced by Ashley Young at half-time.
SUBS:
M Schneiderlin (3): Replaced Carrick in the last quarter of the game and increased the tempo of United’s attacks.
A Young (3.5): Came in at halftime in place of Depay and straight away drew a foul which resulted in United’s first goal. Provided more pace down the flank in the second half.
A Martial (3): Came in for Mata with 25 minutes to go and broke through the Liverpool defense to score his first goal in the Red of Manchester.
Liverpool:
S Mignolet (2.5): Made some poor clearances that should have cost Liverpool. Was not commanding in the air and was exposed by Martial’s goal in the dying minutes of the game.
M Skrtel (2.5): Was not too bad in the first half and almost scored off a header from a corner. But was beaten far too easily by Martial who wrapped up the game.
D Lovren (2.5): Made some fine tackles in the later stages of the second half. But was still not composed with the ball at his feet.
N Clyne (2.5): Was beaten and conceded a foul on Young for United first goal. But looked ok in defense and also provided an extra option in attack down the flank whenever possible.
J Gomez (2): Gave away an unnecessary penalty and lost possession cheaply at times. Gave very little going forward in attack as he was tucked back by the likes of Mata and Fellaini.
Lucas Leiva (2.5): The Brazilian showed some nerves giving the ball away easily and was not able to provide enough cover to the Liverpool back four.
J Milner (2): Far from a captain’s performance, Milner covered the most distance on the pitch by a Liverpool player but was often wasteful with the ball.
E Can (2.5): Tried to build his teammates up vocally but could not do much to influence the game out in the middle.
Firmino (2): Was often isolated in the first half and was static. But was pressing hard till he was substituted in the second half.
Ings (2): Pulled out a fine save from de Gea with an improvised effort. But could not produce much going on the attack as he was often found behind the ball defending.
Beneke (3): His sublime overhead strike gave Liverpool a slight hope in the last stages till Martial scored. Held up the ball when played long to him but was not linking with any of the mid-field players on the field.
SUBS:
J Ibe (2.5): Replaced Firmino in the second half and injected some pace into Liverpool’s attacks. Provided the ball for Benteke’s goal.
D Origin (2.5): Was substituted in place of Ings but failed to make any kind of impact on the game in the late stages.