Manchester United
David De Gea - 7
Had perhaps his easiest outing since arriving at Old Trafford. Doyle and Kightly tested him with decent efforts, and the Spaniard had to be alert to palm away a Fletcher header late in the game. Other than that though, it was a nice, relaxing outing for the young custodian.
Rafael - 7
Supported the rampant Valencia ably - pulling defenders with some clever overlapping runs and providing a nice outlet whenever the Ecuadorean seemed to be crowded out. Finish with an assist - a delightful chipped cross that Hernandez buried in the net. Had an interesting time with Jarvis on the flank and won his fair share of the battles.
Rio Ferdinand - 7
Along with De Gea, he had a relatively relaxed time of it as Wolves struggled to mount meaningful attacks. Cleared the few crosses in with minimum fuss and helped De Gea maintain a clean sheet.
Jonny Evans (off 74') - 8.5
Had one of his best performances in a United shirt. Scored the opener with a well-taken volley that left Hennessey stranded and then set up United's third goal with a raking cross-field ball out to Antonio Valencia who crossed for Danny Welbeck to score. Handled Fletcher well at the back and generally enjoyed a day on which everything went right for him.
Patrice Evra (off 63')- 6.5
Was his teammates running riot, Evra didn't need to go forward as often as he normally does. Forced Doyle to cut in, and ensured the supply of crosses in to Fletcher was quite limited.
Michael Carrick (off 57') - 7.5
Assisted Scholes well, and was instrumental in keeping David Edwards quiet throughout the game. Was the right man in the right place for the opener, when he peeled off his marker and cushioned Rooney's corner into a crowded penalty area where Evans did the rest.
Paul Scholes - 8
It's impossible to come up with new ways of expressing the quality that Scholes provides United every single time he steps on to the pitch. Was at it yet again, pulling the strings with sublime ease and allowing the youngsters ahead of him with ample opportunities to get on the scoresheet.
Antonio Valencia - 9.5
What a performance by the winger on his return to the United starting eleven. The fact that United looked to go to him as their first option of attack speaks volumes about the terror he inflicted on the Wolves defence. One goal, two assists and plenty of incisive runs right into the heart of the opposition area made it a near-perfect outing for Valencia.
Danny Welbeck - 7.5
Fergie continued to play him out wide on the left, and Welbeck continued to show he has the quality to adapt. Scored one with a neatly slotted strike into the bottom of the net - and exchanged some delightful one-twos with both Valencia and Hernandez.
Javier Hernandez - 7
Started off poorly - failing to control crosses that were raining in from the right, but settled as the game progressed - ultimately ending up with a brace; one a free header and the other a close range strike that smashed into the roof of the net.
Wayne Rooney - 9.5
He may not have scored, but Rooney was at the heart of almost every United move - showcasing yet again how important he is to the team's cause. His pass for Valencia's goal (United's second) was a thing of beauty and as United stamped their authority on the game, those passes became increasingly common.
Subs
Paul Pogba (on 57') - 6
It's difficult to judge the youngster's performance, given that United were already assured of all three points when he came on. Kept the ball well, and was not unafraid to get inside the penalty area for a pop on goal. Needs to play in more testing conditions to really show what he's all about.
Fabio (on 63') - 6
Looked as assured as his brother in possession and a few marauding runs down the flanks showed that the similarities between the twins extend beyond just the physical appearance. Just like Pogba though, it's difficult to rate him given that the game was over by the time he came on.
Chris Smalling (on 74') - 6
Made some crucial interceptions to deny the sprightly Kightly. Fergie would have been pleased with his defender's brief outing.
Post time 18-3-2012 01:11 PM
