UEFA Champions League: Manchester United vs Villarreal Player Ratings as Manchester United clinch a thrilling final seconds win

UEFA Champions League: Manchester United vs Villarreal Player Ratings as Manchester United clinch a thrilling final seconds win

Manchester United pulled off a huge comeback victory, courtesy of Cristiano Ronaldo’s 94th winner to get their first victory of this season’s UEFA Champions League. The Portuguese superstar once again proved to be the difference at the end, scoring from close range after Alex Telles had equalized from an incredible volley to equalize for the Red Devils. Villarreal had the majority of the goal-scoring chances in the first half, but could not put it in the back of the net until Paco Alcacer scored in the 53rd minute to give them a deserved lead.

With this victory, United stay in third place in Group F, while the Spanish side Villarreal have moved down to the bottom of the table.

Manchester United Player Ratings

1 David de Gea- 7/10- The Spaniard was the best player for United in the first half, and made three incredible stops to keep his side in the game. He made yet another stunning stop in the final minutes of the game to deny Bia from close range.

19 Raphaël Varane- 6.5/10- Varane looked calm in defence picking out cross-field passes with his lazy elegance. He did a fine job for Manchester United.

2 Victor Lindelöf- 6.5/10- The Swede was arguably the best player in defense for Manchester United, making perfect tackles and ended up with a whopping pass completion rate of 95%.

27 Alex Telles- 7/10- The left-back finished off a training ground move and scored a thunderous volley from outside the box to find the equalizer for United.

20 Diogo Dalot- 5/10- The right-back had a torrid time in defense, especially during the first half as Danjuma ran past him on numerous occasions.

18 Bruno Fernandes- 7.5/10- The captain had a decent game, picking out passes expertly and showed a great work rate throughout the match, winning balls for United from counter-attacks. He delivered a perfect ball for Telles’ equalizing goal.

39 Scott McTominay- 7/10-  A dominant performance from the midfielder for Manchester United, who put in a real shift at the middle of the pitch

6 Paul Pogba- 6.5/10- The French midfielder showed his wide range of passing, and constantly moved up and down the pitch to help in attack and defense.

7 Cristiano Ronaldo- 7.5/10- Ronaldo did not have a great game, by his lofty standards and did not help Manchester United much on the offensive front. However, he did what he does best in the final minutes to win the match for United scoring from close range.

25 Jadon Sancho- 6/10- The summer signing for Manchester United looked sharp and had a decent match, but failed to make a direct impact on the goal. He was eventually subbed off for the final 15 minutes.

11 Mason Greenwood- 6.5/10- The attacker did not have a great game on the right flank and found it hard to get space to run into.

SUBSTITUTES

Nemanja Matic- 6.5/10- The Serbian came on to replace Jadon Sancho, as Solskjaer took up the safer bet.

Edison Cavani- 6.5/10- He replaced Paul Pogba for the final 15 minutes and missed a glorious chance to score the winner from a Mason Greenwood cross.

Fred- NA

Lingard- NA.

Villarreal Player Ratings

13 Gerónimo Rulli-6.5/10 The goalkeeper did not have much to do in goal for most of the match, and barely had time to react for United’s equalizer. He should have done better at the end to stop the goal from Ronaldo.

 4 Pau Torres- 7/10- The Spanish defender was hardly troubled in defense, and made a great run late on in the first half, to almost get a goal for himself.

 3 Raúl Albiol-6/10 The experience center back had a great game at the back, but had to be replaced for the final quarter after suffering a hamstring injury.

 18 Alberto Moreno- 6.5/10-  The former Liverpool man enjoyed his outing at Old Trafford, and did very well defensively to keep Greenwood from getting any space behind him to run into.

 8 Juan Foyth-6.5/10-  The Argentine right-back had few good moments, and kept Jadon Sancho and Telles quiet. He matched Sancho’s pace and looked very sharp in attack as well.

 6 Étienne Capoue- 6.5/10- Capoue ran the show from midfield for the away side, and did well positionally as well as with his passing.

 14 Manu Trigueros- 7/10- He put in the ball for Danjuma in the build-up of Villarreal’s opening goal of the match. He was subbed off at the hour mark.

 5 Dani Parejo- 6.5/10- The Spaniard once again showed his class in midfield, picking out the attackers impeccably and finished with an 85 percent pass completion rate.

 9 Paco Alcácer- 7/10- The striker was a constant threat in the penalty box, but could not find the back of the net. He finally scored in the second half tapping in from close range nutmegging De Gea to score the first goal.

15 Arnaut Danjuma-7/10- The left-winger had an excellent game, looking the best player for the away side most often and created a number of chances for the Yellow Submarine. He was finally rewarded for his efforts and picked the assist for the first goal.

 21 Yeremi Pino- 6/10- The youngster did not have as many chances as his partner on the other flank, but had a shot at goal, late on in the first half which was saved by De Gea.

Substitutes

Boulaye Dua-6/10- The striker came on to replace the goalscorer in the 57th minute. He had a great chance to score the winner but couldn’t sort his feet out in time to get his shot on target.

Estupinian-6/10- He came on to replace Manu Trigueros on the hour mark.

Mandi-6.5/10-  The former Real Betis defender came on to replace the injured center back Raul Albiol on the 70th-minute mark.

Ruben Pena-6/10- Pena came on to replace Alberto Moreno to shore things up at the back for Villarreal. He received a yellow card late on for a challenge on Matic.

Moi Gomez- NA.

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