A sublime Manchester United performance saw David Moyes’ men stroll to a thumping 4-0 win over Newcastle United at lunch time kick off at the Sports Direct Arena. Juan Mata’s impeccable free kick gave United the lead going into the break and the former Chelsea player doubled the advantage before Javier Hernandez and Adnan Januzaj made the scoreline look even more emphatic. The win gives the Red Devils a huge boost going into the second leg of the Champions League quarter finals against Bayern Munich in the coming midweek.
Here are the player ratings from Tyneside.
Anders Lindegaard:
The Dutchman who made a rare start as David De Gea was rested showed he was no pushover as the United number two, making a trio of superb saves to deny Pappis Cisse from scoring in front of the vociferous home faithful. He was largely untroubled as the Newcastle frontline hardly made an impact. A well deserved clean sheet for Lindegaard.
Rating: 3/5
Anton Valencia: playing as a makeshift right back, the Ecuadorian fared well to negate the threat from the Newcastle wingers in the left channel, however his distribution was found wanting at times.
Rating: 3/5
Phil Jones: A great game for the Englishman who was ever present in the United back four and dealt with the early Newcastle pressing well enough to muster up a morale boosting clean sheet for his team, leading from the back.
Rating: 3/5
Chris Smalling: Was rock solid at the back barring a few mistakes. His passing was top notch which helped United to build from the back and ease the pressure on Mata and Fletcher in the middle of the park.
Rating: 3/5
Patrice Evra: Looks a shadow of his former self as he struggled to bear the excruciating tackles on the pitch after picking up a niggle. Was subbed off by Alexander Buttner midway through the second half.
Rating: 1.5/5
Darren Fletcher: A fantastic game from Darren Fletcher as he covered every inch of grass on the pitch. Was superb with his distribution completing most of his passes. Also won the free kick leading to Juan Mata’s sizzling strike.
Rating: 3.5/5
Marouane Fellaini: Yet another disappointing performance from the Belgian who should have been sent off after elbowing Dan Gosling in the first half. Did better in the second half but needs to raise his game on the pitch.
Rating: 2/5
Juan Mata: Two goals in the game from the Spaniard who dictated the United tempo right from start to finish. His brilliant free kick was reminiscent of his Chelsea days as Mata showed great composure to double the lead from Javier Hernandez’s superb cutback from the right. A man of the match performance from the Spaniard who is slowly finding his feet in a United shirt.
Rating: 4.5/5
Shinji Kagawa: The Japanese showed great movement off the ball, running in the channels of space behind the Newcastle back four. Grabbed two assists, a display which suggests he needs to play more often than warming the sidelines.
Rating: 4/5
Ashley Young: Hardly made an impact as he was subbed off following a hand injury in the first quarter. Was replaced by Adnan Januzaj who grabbed a goal at the end to make the scoreline more emphatic for the Red Devils.
Rating: 1/5, Januzaj’s rating: 3.5/5
Javier Hernandez: Two goals in two matches for the Mexican would now make claims that he needs to stay at United next season rather than leave Old Trafford as a mere pushover. Grabbed an assist too for Mata with a delightful cutback.
Rating: 3.5/5
Watch the highlights here:
