Manchester United Player ratings from their 2-0 win against Newcastle United | Premier League 2018-19
Manchester United made a good start under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer as they won the first three games under the interim manager and looked to make it four today against Newcastle United. On the other hand, Rafa Benitez's side came into this fixture with just three points above the relegation zone and needed points to push further away from it.
The Reds Devils had a pretty comfortable opening ten minutes of the first half until Atsu forced David De Gea into making a couple of good saves. As the game progressed, United continued to dominate possession. Antony Martial looked the most significant threat for Manchester United with Marcus Rashford and Juan Mata getting a couple of half chances to score.
After the hour mark, Manchester United had their noses in front as Romelu Lukaku slotted home from a close range. The Belgian was in the thick of things again as his pass found Alexis Sanchez who set up Marcus Rashford to secure all three points for the Red Devils.
It was not an eye-catching performance from the away side but a job done nonetheless. Here are the Manchester United player ratings.
David De Gea - 7/10
David had a pretty comfortable first half apart from the two shots which were hit straight to the Spaniard by Atsu. The Spaniard got called into action a few times after the break, but he was expected to make all those saves.
Antonio Valencia - 6.5/10
Unlike last season, the Ecuadorian isn't a regular in this campaign which has somewhat affected Valencia's match fitness. He stood up strong against any Newcastle attack but barely made runs down the flanks to support the attack on the other end.
Victor Lindelof - 7/10
Lindelof was calm in his passing and organized the defense well. Lindelof stood up tall against the likes of Rondon up front and won most of the headers. It was another solid performance from the Swede.
Phil Jones - 6.5/10
Unlike his central defensive partner, Jones looked a bit shaky in the first half including giving away an easy pass to Rondon which almost led to a Newcastle goal. In the second half even, there was a moment when a miscommunication with Paul Pogba almost set up Salomon for a shot on goal.
Luke Shaw - 7/10
Luke Shaw provided the width down the left flank allowing Martial to drift inside at will He even had to deal with the pace of Yedlin which the England International carried out correctly.
Nemanja Matic - 7/10
One of Manchester United's best player on the pitch today, the Serbian dictated the game from the midfield. Matic got a lot of room to move out with the ball which he happily obliged. He spread the game well and even sat in front of the back line to thwart any Newcastle attack.
Ander Herrera - 7/10
The Spaniard was lively and always available to receive the ball covering a lot of ground. His interceptions were accurate and very rarely missed a pass.
Juan Mata - 6/10
Juan Mata didn't register any goal or assist to his name, but he involved the fullbacks to the game with his diagonals. It was a stable performance from the Spaniard until Alexis Sanchez substituted him.
Paul Pogba - 6.5/10
Paul Pogba was far off from his vintage best against the Magpies. He looked scrappy in the first half and even gave away a few easy passes to the opposition. Paul also failed to score in an open net towards the fag end of the match. It was one off those frustrating days for the Frenchman.
Antony Martial - 7/10
The biggest threat for Manchester United in the first half, Antony Martial steadily drifted inside finding Mata and Rashford on a couple of occasions inside the Newcastle box. He allowed width down the left side which made life easy for the midfielders to drift it out wide to him whenever the Red Devils were under pressure.
Marcus Rashford - 8/10
Marcus Rashford led the line well for the Red Devils including scoring the second goal which gave Ole Gunnar's side a breathing side in the last quarter of the game. The England International also contributed to Lukaku's opening goal for United. He was United's best player on the pitch.
Substitutes
Romelu Lukaku - 7/10
It was dream substitution for Manchester United as Romelu Lukaku scored from his first touch of the game. A few moments later, his pass found Sanchez who set up Rashford to seal all three points for the Red Devils.
Alexis Sanchez - 7/10
Alexis Sanchezmade a telling contribution in the few minutes he got under his belt. The Chilliean kept the Newcastle right-back modest and even provided the assist for United's second goal of the day.
Jesse Lingard - NA
Came on very late in the game to make any significant impact.