Thomas Hein
Manchester United weathered a mini-storm but came out unscathed in our Champions League opener against Young Boys.
Paul Pogba scored a brace in the first half while Anthony Martial got another goal in a 3-0 win. Young Boys did have a few chances before the Frenchman’s opener but we had David de Gea in top form to preserve a clean sheet.
Pogba was one of the stars of the show in Switzerland as United romped home and here are the player ratings from the game.
David de Gea – 8/10
The Spaniard made a couple of important saves when the score was 0-0 but had a relatively easy night after we scored.
Diogo Dalot – 8/10
Dalot was great in his debut for the side as he looked competent in both attack and defence. We might have a star on our hands.
Chris Smalling – 7/10
The Englishman looked rock-solid, barring one moment during the game. Smalling has raised his game in recent weeks and looks like a proper defender now.
Victor Lindelof – 6/10
The Swede didn’t look comfortable in the initial 30 minutes of the game and should thank Smalling that we didn’t concede early on.
Luke Shaw – 8/10
Shaw produced another great display as he almost assisted a goal and also won the penalty which Pogba converted for our second of the night.
Paul Pogba – 8/10
Pogba showed flashes of brilliance, especially after we opened the scoring. His penalty made the game safe and all we need now is consistency from the Frenchman.
Nemanja Matic – 6/10
Matic looked a little off the pace with his passing but he did his defensive duties really well.
Fred – 5.5/10
A rather worrying performance from the Brazilian as he looked out of sorts in the first half. Fred recovered in the second half but picked up a booking during the game.
Marcus Rashford – 5.5/10
The English striker struggled to perform on an artificial pitch. Although he played wide right, there should be more from the 20-year-old.
Romelu Lukaku – 6.5/10
Lukaku also had a tough night as our front three didn’t link up as well as expected. Had one shot that was wide of the post but that was it.
Anthony Martial – 6.5/10
The Frenchman’s goal should certainly help him start more games but Martial also missed a couple of decent chances.
Substitutes
Juan Mata – 5/10
Couldn’t make much of an impact in the game but had a chance to score.
Marouane Fellaini – 5/10
Fellaini did an alright job coming on but again, didn’t have a lot of time to make a mark.
Read more: “Warrior”, “It is Wazza” – Some Man United fans love what this forward did against Watford
Andreas Pereira – 5.5/10
Pereira looked good in his cameo for the side.
