Manchester United had to battle back to claim a 1-1 draw with Leicester City at the King Power Stadium today.
Leicester took the lead early on, with Jamie Vardy breaking Ruud van Nistelrooy’s record by scoring in his eleventh consecutive Premier League game after a lightning counter-attack by the Foxes. However, Bastian Schweinsteiger’s first Premier League goal on the stroke of half-time ensured that the Reds came away with a point.
It wasn’t a fine performance by United, and some of the players were pretty poor with top spot in the Premier League on the line today. Here are my player ratings:
David de Gea - 7
Made a crucial save to deny Leonardo Ulloa from giving the Foxes the lead in the second half, but otherwise had fairly little to do. By the Spaniard’s high standards, he will feel that he might have stopped Vardy’s record breaking goal.
Paddy McNair - 6
The Northern Irishman may have had little game time after recently returning from injury, but he did well at the back and wasn’t really troubled throughout the match.
Chris Smalling - 7
The Maidstone Maldini was his usual self at the back and handled Vardy and co. with ease. His performance today showed that he had certainly come a long way from his display against the Foxes last season.
Daley Blind - 7
Solid performance again from the Dutchman and he looked comfortable in the back three. His delivery from set-pieces was excellent and he set up Schweinsteiger’s goal from the corner.
Matteo Darmian - 5
Another poor outing from the Italian, who looks devoid of confidence. Could have cut out the through ball that led to Vardy’s goal and didn’t look comfortable going forward, where his crossing was poor. This game showed that he isn’t really a wing-back and it is damning to think that Antonio Valencia might have been a better option had he not been injured.
Michael Carrick - 5
It was a surprise to see Carrick in the starting eleven, with Louis van Gaal having given no indication that the 34-year old would be returning, but it was a sloppy performance from him. Misplaced several passes and looked to be off the pace throughout the entire match.
Bastian Schweinsteiger - 8
A brilliant performance by the German, who channeled the spirit of Bryan Robson with his drive and determination in midfield. Commanding with the ball at his feet and his first United goal was a powerful header as he shrugged off Shinji Okazaki. A captain’s performance without the armband.
Ashley Young - 6
Also at fault for Vardy’s goal, where he should have tracked back and followed the striker’s run, but going forward he provided a bit of a threat with some decent crossing.
Juan Mata - 5
Was relatively anonymous for most of the match, and when he got on the ball most of his passes were sideways instead of balls designed to penetrate the Foxes’ backline.
Anthony Martial - 6
Still United’s main threat up front, even though he had relatively few chances to show what he is capable of. When faced with an opposition defender, Martial often glided past with ease but didn’t really get the ball in shooting range.
Wayne Rooney - 5
Another performance that will heap more pressure on the United captain. Saw relatively little of the ball and when he did, his first touch was off. Had a couple of shots, but they either went wide or were comfortable saves for Kasper Schmeichel in the Leicester goal. Came off injured in the second half.
Substitute
Memphis Depay – 6
The Dutchman didn’t really have an impact on the game, but he could have done better when presented with a chance in the latter stages of the game.