It was a schizophrenic performance by the Hull shot-stopper. Superb saves mingled with some clownish keeping, but on the whole Myhill kept the Tigers in the hunt for a large part of the match.
Anthony Gardner - 6
Came up against a surprisingly energetic Dimitar Berbatov, but did well to hold him up. Did not allow the Bulgarian to exchange passes with Wayne Rooney on the edge of the penalty area.
Kamil Zayatte - 5.5
Blotted an impressive copybook by not picking out Rooney's run which resulted in United's first goal. Paired up well with Gardner at the back to prevent United from playing their normal flowing game.
Andy Dawson - 3.5
Should have done more to prevent Carrick from slinging in the cross that gave United the opener and unfortunately turned the ball into his own net for United's second. Did not offer much going forward.
Bernard Mendy - 7.5
Fired on all cyclinders. Ryan Giggs was robbed of the ball on a number of occasions, Evra was not allowed to get past and Mendy's crosses from the right were just the type to cause confusion in the United's defence. A better pair of strikers would probably have given him at least two assists on the day.
George Olofinjana - 6.5
Marshalled the midfield well against Carrick and Fletcher in partnership with George Boateng. Picked out the runs of the hugely impressive Jozy Altidore, with angular balls causing problems for the United defence.
George Boateng - 4.5
Some poor passing allowed United occasional sniffs of goal. Was caught on his heels quite a few times and it was only the efforts of his teammates that prevented United's midfielders from taking advantage.
Stephen Hunt - 6.5
Huffed and puffed his lungs out, defending with tenacity and going forward with purpose whenever he got the chance. Rushed his passes though when he would have been better off keeping possession.
Richard Garcia - 7
Enjoyed a superb game, drawing United's defenders towards him with some eye catching dribbling and creating space for the likes of Hunt and Altodore.
Jozy Altidore - 8
Earned his stripes as the Tigers' forward. Held the ball up very effectively, allowing Fagan and Reid to make their runs, buzzed around United's backline and gave a very good account himself.
Craig Fagan - 7
Found tiny holes in United's defence to run into, giving Altidore good support. Took a calm penalty under huge pressure to bring his team back to parity with the champions.
Substitutes
Jan Vennegoor - 5
Came on for the sparkling Garcia and played his part in helping Hull make a fight of it.
Khamel Gilas - n.a
Macio Geovanni - n.a
Manchester United
Tomasz Kuszczak - 6
Made two or three reflex saves to deny Hull the lead in the first half.
Wes Brown - 5.5
Was forced to rough up both Fagan and Altidore in order to keep them at bay. Lost his concentration a few times, giving the ball away cheaply in dangerous areas.
Nemanja Vidic - 7.5
The big Serb was back to his dominating best after a hairy few months, neurtralising Hull in the air with his thunderous headers. Was given a testing time by the Hull forwards but acquitted himself well.
Patrice Evra - 4.5
Came up against a stubborn Mendy and simply could not find a way past him. The fiery Frenchman went on to commit a number of fouls in frustration and could count himself lucky that he was not sent off.
Rafael - 4.5
Showed his inexperience by shoving Altidore in the back to give away the penalty. Was expectedly full of energy throughout the game but showed that he is still not the finished product with some crude tackles.
Michael Carrick - 4
Looked far more comfortable in his usual midfield role but was not allowed a free run of the park. Was the chief culprit in an error strewn United midfield and would surely have been punished by a better side.
Darren Fletcher - 4.5
Another one who was back to his familiar role, but did not exactly cover himself in glory with some horrific passing. Was surprisingly shy to take shots on goal when opportunities presented themselves.
Ryan Giggs - 4
A rare off day for the veteran. Found Mendy in inspired form and could not pull of his usual bag of tricks.
Antonio Valencia - 3
United's poorest player on day. Shaky in defence and completely useless going forward. Looked sluggish and disinterested.
Wayne Rooney - 9
Man of the Match by a distance. Had a part to play in every single goal of the match. Scored the opener, before a reckless pass gifted Hull a penalty. Made up for it with a searching pass that forced Dawson to blast it into his own net and then setting up Berbatov with a delicate ball through the legs of Zayatte.
Dimitar Berbatov - 5
Started off with rare vigour but lapsed into his usual indifference soon. Barely deserved the goal gifted to him by Wayne Rooney.
Substitutes
Park Ji-Sung - 7
The slippery Korean was on song, going past defenders with ease and easing in those floating crosses. Was poised to score United's second before Dawson decided to do the honours himself.
Gabriel Obertan - n.a
Post time 26-12-2009 10:15 PM
