An incredible effort from the lads as we dominated Man Utd from start to finish in a 1-0 win at St James’ Park. Here come the ratings from a jubilant St. James Park.
Nick Pope – 7 – Didn’t have a lot to do in the game, with his one save coming early on as he blocked Garnacho’s effort with his feet. Shoulder injury looks like a bad one, which could be another huge blow. Better with his feet today.
Kieran Trippier – 9 – Another masterclass at right back topped off with a wonderful assist for Gordon. Didn’t let Garnacho have a sniff, what a superb footballer. 113 touches, six key passes and six duels won summaries a superb evening. Hit the bar with a beautiful free kick in the first half.
Jamaal Lascelles – 8 – The skipper was strong in the tackle and so dominant in the air, winning one huge header late on to smash clear a dangerous Man Utd corner. Bullied Martial and kept Hojlund quiet too. Amazing to see how consistent he’s been in Botman’s absence, with his confidence on the ball also improving.
Fabian Schar – 9 – An absolutely superb display. Bossed the battle at the back with some brilliant defending and brought the ball out from the back unbelievably all night. Was his heroic block that denied Reguilon late on.
Tino Livramento – 9 – Another incredible performance from Tino. Snuffed out everything defensively – he barely gave Rashford a kick – and was really lively going forward, driving forward with the ball and making several overlapping runs. What a player.
Lewis Miley – 8 – Excellent in the Longstaff role on the right side of our midfield three, breaking up play and keeping the ball moving. Made some brilliant runs in behind throughout the game and showed so much composure once again. Really liked his confidence to break through the lines into the channels.
Bruno Guimaraes – 9 – Bossed it in midfield all evening. In total control at all times, kept the ball beautifully and won his battles. Recycled it so well and played a key pass into Trippier in the build up to our goal. Rallied the crowd on multiple occasions also when the team needed it the most. World class.
Joelinton – 9.5 – One of the most dominant midfield displays I’ve seen and set the tone from the off. Bullied Scott McTominay, came out on top of countless ground duels, won everything in the air, drove us forward down the left and screened the ball brilliantly. Manchester United just couldn’t get the ball off him. One of his best performances for me and an extremely mature one at that. Back to his very best.
Miguel Almiron – 6 – Made the wrong decision a few times when he got into the final third and missed a few big chances, with one fired over and another too close to Onana. Was brilliant in the press as always in the first half but faded slightly in the second.
Alexander Isak – 7 – Probably should’ve scored in the first half, but linked up superbly early on and showed quick feet to evade challenges and drag out their centre-backs. Looked shattered with around 20 or so to go. Top player, but we need Wilson back ASAP to manage his load over the festive schedule.
Anthony Gordon – 8 – Another lively display and scored the winner, making a great run to the back post to tap in Trippier’s cross. So satisfying to see him score this type of goal, as it’s what all goalscoring wingers do. Now looks a steal at the reported fee.
Substitutes:
Martin Dubravka – N/A – Made one or two claims late on when Man Utd hung high ball into the box. Came on in the 85th minute.
Matt Ritchie – N/A
