Manchester United hosted Arsenal in a fight to regain top spot Monday night at Old Trafford. Arsenal went into this game with both Cesc Fabregas and Robin van Persie on the bench, while Sir Alex decided to go with a 5-man midfield and axe Berbatov.
It was a cracking game of football, in which both teams played open attacking football, particularly in the first half. However, all the great play resulted in just a solitary goal scored by Manchester United’s big match player Ji-Sung Park.
Here are the player ratings from last night’s encounter.
Manchester United
Edwin van der Sar: 6.0
Plenty of football was being played around his box but nothing of any substance came towards him that could have caused him any trouble. However, he made one save from Nasri which he almost spilled in for Chamakh.
Rafael da Silva: 7.0
The youngster was full of energy. He ran, attacked and defended with passion, real and effort. The Brazilian looked very much up for it and he romped forward at every opportunity. Combined well with Nani in attack and hardly gave Arshavin a sniff at him.
Rio Ferdinand: 7.0
He is one of the two main reasons why van der Sar had a reasonably comfortable evening. The Classy centre-half looked back to his best. He dealt with everything that was thrown at him and used the ball as exquisitely as ever.
Nemanja Vidic: 7.5
A contender for man of the match and the other reason behind van der Sar’s comfortable 90 minutes between the sticks. He was a towering figure at the back and never allowed Chamakh to get the better of him. His last ditch tackle to stop Chamakh slotting
the ball in the empty net was all about determination and reading the situation.
Patrice Evra: 7.0
Just like the rest of United’s defence, Evra was also at the top of his game. He handled Nasri as well as anyone has done all season. He kept him completely out of the game in the first half and was never shy of joining up attacks.
Luis Nani: 6.5
A reasonably good night’s work out for the Portuguese. He seemed to over try a bit at times and lost possession in good areas. However, when he did decide to cross he was usually spot on.
Michael Carrick: 6.5
Worked hard and passed the ball neatly. He never really tried to do over do it and kept on nicking the ball of Rosicky and Co, and passing it forwards.
Darren Fletcher: 6.5
He is one h**l of an annoying footballer. Never stops running and is at your heels all day long. A typical Fletcher performance and his movement also caused Arsenal some problems. His energy levels helped the likes of Carrick to go on about doing their jobs.
Anderson: 8.0
What a surprisingly brilliant performance! Who could have bet on Anderson running the show on Monday, but the reality was not far from it. He was full of running and his control of the ball along with his movement was impeccable. He was never shrugged off
the ball and showed glimpses of typical Brazilian trickery. He should have scored when he was up against Szczesny.
Ji-Sung Park: 7.0
Another crucial goal and another satisfying display by the Korean. He really was up for this one and scored from an instinctive header. His work ethic was commendable as he never stopped running, just like most of his team mates.
Wayne Rooney: 6.0
He looked sharp and agile, Rooney’s movement was good but he drifted and moved all over the pitch, at times unnecessarily. Missed the penalty which would have sealed the game for Manchester United. He is still looking for a goal from open play but there
are signs that he is returning to his best.
SUBSTITUTIONS:
Ryan Giggs: N/A
The only substitution shows how well the team was playing. He was sent out in the last five minutes to see out the game and did not do anything noticeable to be rated.
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