In disappointing fashion, Manchester United lost to Arsenal 1-0 at the Emirates Stadium, which has blown the Barclays Premier League title race wide open again.
There were very few clear cut chances created by the Reds throughout the match, and they were punished by a tidy finish from young Aaron Ramsey early in the second half.
When presented with a chance to take a huge step towards the Premier League title, who stepped up their game to earn Man of the Match for United?
Edwin van der Sar – 6
Was not called upon to make too many saves, but van der Sar had no chance at stopping the winning goal from going in and was very poor with his distribution.
Fabio – 6
Showed heart and determination throughout the match, and Fabio showed that he does still have a place at Old Trafford.
Rio Ferdinand – 6
Usually composed and unfazed by the pressure of important matches, Ferdinand was not as influential as he could have been in the United defense.
Nemanja Vidic – 5
Very lucky not to have given up a penalty in the first half, Vidic was often troubled and left exposed on the left-hand side of the Reds’ defense.
Patrice Evra – 5
Not a very good performance from the left-back, because he focused way too much on attacking than what he is paid to, so it was not surprising that Evra was nowhere to be found on the goal.
Nani – 5
Wasteful and uninspiring on the ball throughout the match, but Nani did go closest to scoring for the Reds on two separate occasions.
Michael Carrick – 5
Up against it all match because of Arsenal boasting three midfielders, Carrick snuffed out most of the chances, but he was too slow closing down Ramsey.
Anderson – 4
Normally he has his match of the season against the Gunners, but Anderson was completely off the pace and could not create anything going forward.
Ji-Sung Park – 6 (Man of the Match)
Showed his wonderful work-rate and versatility throughout the match, but Park was not presented a chance to increase his wonderful goal scoring return against Arsenal.
Wayne Rooney – 6
On an island for most of the first half, Rooney was forced to drop even deeper than he normally has done, and he ended the match as a holding midfielder.
Javier Hernandez – 4
Presented with a chance early in the second half to get in a shot, but Hernandez failed to take it and was not productive at all against the Arsenal center-backs.
Substitutions
Antonio Valencia – 5
Came on for Anderson in the middle of the second half, but Valencia’s crossing either failed to beat the first man or it flew over everyone’s heads.
Dimitar Berbatov – 5
Played more than 15 minutes, but Berbatov showed his rust as he failed to touch the ball more than five times.
Michael Owen – 5
His first involvement saw him make a customary run in behind the Arsenal defense, but Owen was stepped on and it should have earned the Reds a penalty.
Overall – 5
After putting in one of their best performances of the season, Manchester United put in a very mediocre display against Arsenal, and they were not worthy of leaving the Emirates with any of the points.
Submitted by The United Religion
For Arsenal player ratings click here.
