Player Ratings: Manchester United 3-0 Aston Villa
Robin van Persie of Manchester United celebrates scoring his second goal with Wayne Rooney and Shinji Kagawa during the Barclays Premier League match against Aston Villa at Old Trafford on April 22, 2013 in Manchester, England. (Getty Images)
Job well done. Manchester United are the champions for the 13th time in 21 seasons since the inception of Premier League with 4 games still to play. No one must have been more motivated than Robin van Persie to prove a point since joining United in the summer. And the Dutch striker scored a first-half hat-trick to help seal the title.
Manchester United:
David De Gea 6.5/10: Was a mere spectator for most of the match. Fumbled with the ball on a couple of occasions but came out good whenever required.
Rafael da Silva 7/10: A great talent! Attacked and defended with equal prowess. Hit the post in the 10th minute with a long range effort. Stayed on his feet and troubled Agbonlahor throughout the match.
Phil Jones 7/10: Made his presence felt by dealing with the aerial threat posed by Villa. Intercepted the passes well to break Villa’s play and didn’t face much trouble to control Benteke.
Jonny Evans 7.5/10: Returned to the side after an injury lay-off. Made a few crucial tackles in the box including a tackle in the 4th minute to stop Weimann from scoring. The Irishman has certainly turned his fortunes around this season to become an integral part of United’s squad.
atrice Evra 7/10: Had an easy night against an out-of-sorts N’Zogbia. Supported well in attack. A typical day out for the captain.
Antonio Valencia 6/10: Another below average outing for the Ecuadorian. Couldn’t manage to get his trademark crosses into the box.
Ryan Giggs 7/10: The 39-year-old veteran provided two assists to earn his 13th title. Shifted to the center of midfield after Rooney was taken off.
Michael Carrick 6.5/10: A no-nonsense performance from the PFA Player of the Year nominee. Stood just in front of the back four and didn’t allow the Villa attackers much time and space with the ball.
Shinji Kagawa 6.5/10: Remained anonymous in a day ruled by Van Persie. Started behind the Dutchman and was left pleading for ball on many occasions. Missed a great chance to get a goal to his name when he skied his shot in the 77th minute after finding himself with plenty of space inside the box.
Wayne Rooney 8/10: Started in center of midfield and sprayed the ball around well. It was his long ball that found Robin van Persie for United’s second. Never allowed Villa players to settle on the ball.
Robin van Persie 10/10: A perfect day for Van Persie. Made great runs to leave Villa defenders dazed. Scored when the clock showed 1:22 to calm down the nerves around Old Trafford. And again in the 13th minute with a majestic volley from a Rooney long ball. And again in the 33rd to complete a deserving hat-trick. Was present to clear the corners as well and cleared one header from the line.
Substitutions:
Danny Welbeck 6/10: Came on for Wayne Rooney in the 71st minute and didn’t do much to affect the game.
Aston Villa
Brad Guzan 6/10: Had a very busy night between the sticks. Was let down by his defence and could do very little about the goals.
Matthew Lowton 6/10: Ran his socks off but was sometimes caught out by the experience of Ryan Giggs. A promising prospect in the seasons to come!
Ron Vlaar 4/10: Put in a few decent tackles but was caught ball watching more than once; a weakness well exploited by Van Persie. He hasn’t justified his post as the captain of the season in absence of Petrov and he failed to encourage the younger lads after conceding a goal in the second minute.
Nathan Baker 5.5/10: Looked as if he was forced to get on the pitch. Had a chance to pull one back from a corner but Robin van Persie cleared his header off the line.
Joe Bennett 6.5/10: Made good runs forward to support his team’s attack but had a difficult time trying to contain the runs of Antonio Valencia. Decent outing for the youngster altogether.
Ashley Westwood 6/10: Failed to hold the ball for his side. Made a few good passes but was overrun in the centre by Rooney and Carrick.
Fabian Delph 5.5/10: Remained invisible throughout the game and was visibly frustrated by the time the final whistle blew. Nonetheless, great things have been said about him and he still has 4 games to help Villa beat the drop.
Charles N’Zogbia 5/10: Had a game to forget. The former Wigan man failed to get the better of Patrice Evra and was eventually substituted at half time.
Andreas Weimann 7/10: Another decent outing from a player who has been performing well throughout the season. Tried to put crosses in put wasn’t supported ably by his teammates. Might see him in some other club next season.
Gabriel Agbonlahor 6.5/10: Looked sharp but couldn’t deliver a final pass to Benteke. Was contained well by United defenders.
Christian Benteke 6/10: The man who had scored 15 league goals for Villa before this match came close to scoring in 11th minute when Aston Villa broke away but his shot went well above the post. Looked a lonely figure upfront and could do nothing much owing to lack of delivery from his teammates.
Substitutions:
Karim El-Ahmadi 6.5/10: Came on at half time to provide Villa a much needed solidity in the middle of the park. Had a shot on target from distance which was pushed over the bar from De Gea.
Cieran Clark -/10: Came on for Joe Bennett in the 80th minute.