Tottenham vs. Manchester United: Player Ratings for United

The "war of attrition" between Manchester United and Manchester City goes on.

United responded to City's 2-0 victory against Bolton at the Etihad with a gritty 3-1 win at White Hart Lane.

What shaped up to be an end-to-end game, ended being a scrappy midfield battle that showed no real creative endeavor.

A goal just at halftime by Wayne Rooney made Sir Alex's team talk a tiny bit easier. The away fans then received reason to gloat as two stunning strikes by Ashley Young finished Spurs off.

Defoe then slotted home a late consolation to make it 3-1.

Here are the ratings for the United players at White Hart Line this afternoon. 

GK: David De Gea

Six games on the trot now for De Gea, who is beginning to show real quality that befits his big price tag.

He was composed, athletic and inspirational as he and the defenders were the only players who turned up for the first half. 

He struggled slightly under the high ball once again but pulled off fine saves throughout the game.

His outstanding moment was a cat-like save from a deflected Livermore shot, where he shifted his feet in a millisecond and turned the low drive around the post.

Rating: 7/10

RB: Phil Jones

In the first half, Jones struggled with the dual threat of the left back and the out of position Luka Modric.

He received little help from Nani and made up for his shaky first-half display with an all-action performance in the second half.

As selfless as ever, he got stuck in when times were tough and picked United up during the difficult periods.

Rating: 6.5/10

CB: Jonny Evans

This may be the beginning of a long and successful United career for Evans, who was the outstanding performer for me today.

He marshaled the dangerous pairing of Saha and Adebayor perfectly and showed real class on the ball, using it calmly and initiating attacks when Scholes and Carrick failed to.

Sometimes the misfortune of some can bring out the best in others. And it is clear that Evans is benefiting from Vidic's long-term injury.

Really impressive.

Rating: 8.5/10 MOTM

CB: Rio Ferdinand

We can all accept that Rio is not the same player he used to be, but he continually has performances that defy his years.

He never seemed off the pace and was amazingly never beaten by speed by the electric front pairing of Tottenham.

He will be disappointed by his lack of effort on the Spurs' goal, turning his back and blocking De Gea's view of the shot.

Rating: 6.5/10

LB: Patrice Evra

Similar to Jones' performance, Evra had a poor first half and was consistently left for dead by Lennon.

He then kept a tight leash on the pacy winger in the second half while also providing an attacking threat, which was absent from his first-half performance.

Rating: 6/10

RM: Nani

Talking of players taking advantage of injuries, Nani has a chance to cement his place in the team now that Toni Valencia will be out injured for four weeks.

Nani was poor today. He lacked any sort of cutting edge, provided very little attacking threat and allowed Phil Jones to face many two-on-one situations.

He needs to pick up his game if he is to win over many skeptical fans. 

Rating: 4/10

CM: Michael Carrick

The man from Newcastle has had better games and will be disappointed with his display.

He looked slightly clueless in the first half as the game passed him by. 

It seems he slightly underestimated the inexperienced midfield duo of Livermore and Sandro, as they outfought and outpassed the experience of Carrick and Scholes.

Rating: 5/10

CM: Paul Scholes

Possibly the first game where the magician that is Paul Scholes didn't control the middle of the park.

His passing was erratic, and he failed to link the play, resulting in the level of performance of other players to drop. 

But let's face it, it's Paul Scholes; he's allowed one bad game.

Rating: 5.5/10

LM: Ashley Young

Young had two stunning strikes that turned a mediocre performance into a very good one.

The match-winner was actually poor for the first hour. He was pushed deeper and deeper by Walker and did little to impress his probable future England manager.

Goals change games and performances. A volley and a beautiful curling strike had the United fans ecstatic.  

Hopefully, this performance is one of many.

Rating: 7.5/10

CF: Wayne Rooney

Despite a well-taken header from a corner just before halftime, Rooney was not up to his usual standard.

Nonexistent in the first half, he only took control of the game when United were 3-0 up.

United need leaders during the run in and will need Rooney playing better than he did today.

Rating: 6/10

ST: Danny Welbeck

One might think that Welbeck had a pretty uninspired game today, but his work off the ball is some of the most impressive I've seen.

He reminds me of a young Mark Hughes in the way that he finds little pockets of space and then uses his physical attributes to drive at the opposition's back four.

His work rate today was also most impressive. Notice how he was still running in the very last minute. Great to see from a young player.

Rating: 7/10 

Subs

Ji-Sung Park

He played too little time to make a big difference.

Rating: N/A

Ryan Giggs

He knows how to finish off games and showed his experience when it was needed most. However, he gave the ball away cheaply for the Spurs' goal. 

Rating: 5.5/10