GK: David de Gea (8): Proved why he won the club’s player of the year award yet again with a number of fine saves
RB: Matteo Darmian (4): A surprise appearance for Darmian, who did not make the most of the chance. Barely got forward to support attacks, while proving defensively vulnerable
CB: Chris Smalling (5): Covered well against a limited attacking threat, but as usual his passing left a lot to be desired
CB: Marcos Rojo (5): Similar performance to that of Smalling; less assertive on the ball than usual, but dealt with Brighton’s attack relatively well
LB: Ashley Young (4): A poor performance from Young, as his failure to overlap consistently put pressure on Martial on the wing, and his passing was off as well
CM: Nemanja Matic (6): Showing signs of fatigue after a long season, Matic was positionally sound, but failed to have his usual influence on the game
CM: Paul Pogba (4): One of his worst games in a United shirt. Kept running into danger and needlessly losing possession, making poor decisions throughout the game
CM: Marouane Fellaini (4): A needless selection against such limited opponents. The Belgian offered little on the ball, and was easily bypassed defensively
RW: Juan Mata (5): Mata worked hard off the ball, but was too unambitious on it. Most of his passing was infield and square, as he failed to provide his usual incisiveness when most needed
LW: Anthony Martial (5): Lack of regular game time for the Frenchman showed, as he ran into dead ends on the left wing way too often
CF: Marcus Rashford (5): Poor outing from Rashford, as he consistently made the wrong choices throughout the game
Substitutes:
LB: Luke Shaw (7): Replaced Darmian, with Young going to the right, and immediately raised the tempo and urgency of United’s attacking play
CM: Jesse Lingard (N/A): Came on for Fellaini, and was his usual busy self, but could not help find an equalizer
CM: Scott McTominay (N/A): Replaced Rojo as United chased a goal. Neat and tidy on the ball
Man of the Match : David de Gea
The only player to emerge with any credit from this game, de Gea made some good saves in the first half to keep United in with a shout. Perhaps fitting given his Player of the Year award a few days ago, the Spaniard showed just why he is regarded the best in the world right now, but it wasn’t enough to prevent yet another away defeat for United.
