Manchester United 3-2 Newcastle: Player ratings after Alexis Sanchez seals unlikely victory
Three goals in the last twenty minutes gave a glimpse of hope to Jose Mourinho's Manchester United future
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Your support makes all the difference.The fans at Old Trafford booed Jose Mourinho's men at half time after a dismal opening stanza which saw his side take in a two goal deficit.
But just as the Manchester United manager's future looked all but buried, his side produced an inspired finale to secure a win as unlikely as it was stunning.
Yoshinori Muto and Kenedy had given Newcastle the lead, who will consider themselves bitterly unlucky, before the underperforming trio of Juan Mata, Anthony Martial and Alexis Sanchez found the net.
Check out our player ratings after the rollercoaster game:
Man Utd:
De Gea, 6 out of 10 – His defence let me down big style for the first two goals, but he made several saves to keep United with hope they could rescue the game.
Young, 5 out of 10 – Got the nod at right back over Valencia. Defensively he was poor, attacking he was okay, but doesn’t warrant more than a 5.
Bailly, 2 out of 10 – Woeful. Came off after 18 minutes, enough said.
Smalling, 6 out of 10 – This lad’s been stealing a living at Man Utd, he truly is a terrible centre back and proved it today.
Shaw, 6 out of 10 – The only real positive in a weak back four for United. Was prepared to throw himself in front of the ball and
McTominay, 5 out of 10 – Got the thankless task of replacing Bailly in the defence. Good luck with that one kid.
Matic, 6 out of 10 – Missed a sitter in the second half to bring one back for United, didn’t offer a lot more than that.
Pogba, 7 out of 10 – Played well. When United were under the kosh he tried to push them forward and was unafraid to take his shots.
Rashford, 6 out of 10 – Started on the wing but got shifted into the middle where he was lost. He had the best chance of the first half but sent it wide.
Lukaku, 6 out of 10 – Had moments of pure quality and moments of shear rubbish. Not consistent enough to be United’s first choice front man.
Martial, 7 out of 10 – The manager put him out wide to utilise his pace but none of that matters when he can’t beat the first man when trying to get the ball into the box. He scored the equaliser though and persevered throughout the game.
Subs:
Fellaini, 6 out of 10 - Had little impact but made a nuisance out of himself.
Mata, 8 out of 10 - Scored a stunning free-kick to spark the comeback.
Sanchez, 8 out of 10 - Headed home the winner which might just have saved Mourinho's skin.
Newcastle:
Dubravka, 8 out of 10 – Switched on and alert all game. Saw the opportunities to score before United’s strikers and beat them to the ball. Made two crucial saves in the second half as well.
Yedlin, 6 out of 10 – Rapid in attack and solid in defence.
Lascelles, 6 out of 10 – Quality. Held his own to keep Lukaku and Martial quiet and had a chance to score in the first half.
Fernandez, 6 out of 10 – Combined well with Lascelles but United’s goals were all quality.
Manquillo, 6 out of 10 – Young and Mata ran at him all day, but he responded every time and forced the ball away.
Ritchie, 6 out of 10 – Had a decent first half but got scrambled by the quality of United’s attacking prowess.
Shelvey, 7 out of 10 – This guy is good. He’s Newcastle’s best creator and his delivery led to the second goal. He could have set up more as well.
Diame, 8 out of 10 – Was a powerhouse in mid-field dominating it with strength and skill.
Kenedy, 8 out of 10 – Scored the opener with a great finish and linked up well with Perez and Muto.
Perez, 7 out of 10 –Set up Kenedy for the first goal and ran at the defence with pace and gusto to create more chances for Newcastle.
Muto, 7 out of 10 – His goal was glorious, Shelvey delivered the ball into the box and he won it, held it up, turned and smashed it into the net.
Subs:
Jacob Murphy, 6 out of 10 - Barely involved after coming on.
Christian Atsu, 6 out of 10 - Hard to influence game with his side so under presure.
Joselu, 6 out of 10 - Came on too late to make an impact.
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