Although there was no true sign of a breakthrough between the two Manchester sides, Anthony Martial, playing in his first Manchester Derby, shined in the 0-0 stalemate. The tie drops Manchester United to 4th in the Premier League, whereas City has moves back to first.
Louis van Gaal made a comment earlier in the week suggesting that the City side would be the favorite when they came to Old Trafford, will be the more disappointed one of the two managers that witnessed the draw. Van Gaal’s men started the match very lively and continued the bright start to the second half, but faded toward the end.
Here are United’s player ratings for the game…
Manchester United (4-2-3-1)
DAVID DE GEA 6
It was an extremely quiet night for the United keeper, as he was rarely trouble and not tested the entire match.
MARCOS ROJO 7
Rojo provided great defence and did a fantastic job dealing the with pace of Raheem Sterling and Kevin De Bruyne. Much better performance than his midweek showing.
CHRIS SMALLING 6
Challenged Joe Hart late with a shot that was saved from a Marouane Fellaini header, but was the more quiet one out of the defence pairing.
PHIL JONES 6
Misplaced a pass and looked a bit uneasy at times, nonetheless was very active and provided solid, no-nonsense defending. Read the game very well.
ANTONIO VALENCIA 7
Replaced late by Matteo Darmian, however, showed great strength bombing up the right side and put in a few crosses to start the match. His crosses were a bit erratic at times, but easily cruised past the City defence.
MORGAN SCHNEIDERLIN 6
The Frenchman showed good touch with the ball and broke up play on a couple occasions, however, seemed to fade as the match went on.
BASTIAN SCHWEINSTEIGER 7
Controlled most of the match with his calming influence all over the pitch. His confidence was on display as he always made himself available when needed. Made some great runs to help out the attack before being replaced by Fellaini.
JUAN MATA 6
His phenomenal first touch helped United link up play and he showed good movement to get in pockets of space. He did well, but was replaced by the more pacey Jesse Lingard to save his tired legs.
ANDER HERRERA 6
Quite possibly the best passer of the ball that United have did well for the majority of the match. Showed that he is much more than a offensive player by putting in some solid challenges to break up the City attack.
ANTHONY MARTIAL 8
Would of loved to score in his first derby, but can’t blame the teenager for his lack of effort. He was very skillful and strong on the ball for most of the match. Continues to be a nightmare to deal with, as his fast legs took on City defence.
WAYNE ROONEY 7
Another player that would of loved to score, as he has done numerous times against City. His touch and free kicks were much more improved compared to recent matches. Rooney’s great strength and superb defending late in the match helped secure United the point.
SUBSTITUTES
JESSE LINGARD 7
Introduced in the second half to help spark the United attack, which led to him making some great runs and almost breaking the deadlock.
MAROUANE FELLAINI 6
A typical substitute performance for the Belgian. Was clumsy at times but was strong on the ball and did provided a great header to help set up Smalling late in the match.
MATTEO DARMIAN N/A
Replaced Valencia in the 81st.
MANAGER: LOUIS VAN GAAL 7
His substitution of Mata was a smart one, as Lingard provided a bit more going further and was the only one that really trouble Joe Hart. Should be a little disappointed with the draw, however, his squad looked very lively at times.
