Manchester United vs Galati: Rating the United Players in Champions League Clash

Manchester United took home another Champions League win last night and remain unbeaten in the competition so far—finally passing Benfica to reach the top of their group. But it wasn't the easiest of victories for the Red Devils.

Otelul put up a formidable offensive and some not-all-the-way-there performances put a damper on things at Old Trafford. That being said, a win's a win, and it looks like United will have a knockout stage to look forward to once again.

Here are the player ratings for Manchester United's squad in last night's Champions League clash. If you feel like sharing your own assessments of their performances, as always, have at it in the comments. 

Goalkeeper and Defenders

David De Gea: De Gea really had to work tonight to compensate for the lagging central defense and the formidable Otelul attack. Even with the likes of Ionut Neagu closing in and Adrian Salageanu firing some serious scorchers, De Gea held onto them all and maintained a clean sheet. Perhaps he should be the Champions League keeper more often. 7.0 

Phil Jones (MOTM): Wazza may have rocked the midfield tonight, but the real star of the match was Phil Jones, who brought much-needed vitality and tenacity. He was also fantastic at getting forward and neutralizing the opponents' attacks. Also, need we remind you that he's only 19. He can only go up from here. 8.0

Rio Ferdinand: Just a day after Sir Alex Ferguson declared Rio Ferdinand officially no longer his first-choice centre-back, he not only started tonight, but wore the captain's armband. He wasn't as bad as he was during the derby, and he maintained his composure and made a few good moves. But he lacked pace and couldn't make a consistent impact. Then again, this probably has a lot to do with the choice of partnership. Ferdy and Jonny Evans just aren't a good fit. With Fabio Capello in the audience, is it safe to say his England career is on the outs? 5.5

Jonny Evans: We learned during the Manchester derby that Rio Ferdinand and Jonny Evans are hardly the ideal central defense partnership, and last night Evans made a lot of the same mistakes. He didn't do anything horrifically egregious, but he gave the ball away a few times and made one reckless tackle that got him booked and sent that old buzzword—"liability"—flashing through our heads. 5.0

Fabio: It's a sight akin to a unicorn flying over Old Trafford: a Da Silva twin lasting the entire match. Fabio not only made it the entire match, but he actually played quite well. He made some strong, ambitious drives down the pitch and gave some much-needed energy to an initially sluggish United side. Hopefully, this is a sign of more positive things to come for the young Brazilian. 7.0

Midfielders

Antonio Valencia: Valencia looked like he would have a great match, scoring in the first eight minutes and improving his positioning near the end of the first half to link up with Rooney and Jones, but he faded in the second half. I have to give him some points for that goal, but it still could have been better. 6.0

Anderson: Anderson was... Anderson. He gave away the ball, didn't think his passing through and his pace was way off. Wayne Rooney, who never plays in the midfield, was way better in midfield than the regular central midfielder tonight. 4.0

Nani: Just hours after being named on the Ballon d'Or shortlist, Nani may have made some of the selection board members reconsider their decision. The normally energetic and innovative Nani was off his game last night.

He kept getting possession and doing nothing with it, save for a measly late-in-the-game attempt which the keeper caught out. He'd be marked lower if the fact that he was doomed from the start after being positioned at left wing—a position in which he's been ineffective before and clearly not his strong suit—which contributed to his rough night, a disappointing one for an otherwise top player. 5.0

Wayne Rooney: Rooney was a contender for Man of the Match, fitting into his playmaker role rather comfortably and completing the majority of his passes (87 percent with about 20 minutes to go in the match) and setting up some solid attempts. He didn't quite have the finesse of a Scholes but, for now, it worked. Oh, and once again, he scored against Otelul, although you could argue it was an own goal. 7.5

Forwards

Michael Owen: Owen got a great touch to advance Valencia's goal but he left the pitch with an injury after 12 minutes, so it wasn't quite enough of a performance to rate him. N/A

Dimitar Berbatov: You almost had to feel bad for Berbatov. He wanted a goal so, so badly—you could see the frustration with himself and his performance in his face. He made lots of attempts, but he couldn't deliver on some of the best passes to him, which was a shame, and he was generally slow. 5.0

Subs

Chicharito: Chicha came on unexpectedly early in place of an injured Michael Owen, and instantly brought some energy to the attack. His precision was off and he sometimes had trouble shaking defenders, but his effort alone wins him points tonight. 6.0

Park Ji-Sung: Park came on in the last 10 minutes and managed to do more than Anderson did in the whole match. He held on to the ball, he had great energy, and his beautiful pass to Wayne Rooney set the events in motion for United's second goal. I think we know who's starting in CM this weekend. 6.5

Ezekiel Fryers: Great to see the promising young defender get his Champions League debut at last, albeit as an 11th-hour closer for Jonny Evans. He wasn't on for quite long enough to give him a proper rating, but hopefully this is an indicator of great performances to come. Good on 'im. N/A