Fulham v Manchester United: Rating the United Players

Five goals, five different scorers and a teamsheet full of solid performances.

Manchester United dominated Fulham 5-0 at Craven Cottage on Wednesday, and the biggest question raised by the match might be this:

Which United player should be named Man of the Match?

It's a tough choice, but we're confident in our selection. Read on for player ratings and Man of the Match…

Goalkeeper

Anders Lindegaard: 7.0

Lindegaard made a deceptively good save on Andrew Johnson’s low shot in the 83rd minute. He was mostly untroubled, but was solid when needed.

Defenders

Patrice Evra (capt.): 7.0

With the Luis Suarez situation behind him, Evra seemed relaxed and played well. He got forward when he could and tracked his marks well, especially when Bryan Ruiz made a dangerous run into the United box early in the second half.

Phil Jones: 5.5

Jones messed up an aerial challenge in the United box early in the first half, but nothing came of it. It's a bit harsh to rate him so low considering his injury, but, well, there it is.

Jonathan Evans: 6.5

Fulham rarely had a chance all night, and that reflected well on the performance of Evans.

Chris Smalling: 6.5

See above. Smalling kept his area free of danger all night and didn't give Fulham's attackers many opportunities. Both players showed some strength in the air.

Midfielders

Ryan Giggs: 8.0 (Man of the Match)

We're starting to see why Alex Ferguson keeps playing Giggs in the middle. At 38, he doesn't have the engine he used to, but Giggs is a wily veteran who still has the vision and ability to spray dangerous passes all over the field. Plus, he showed us a glimpse or two of his old dribbling moves, scored a deflected goal and assisted two more. All in all, Giggs had a wonderful game.

Nani: 8.0

Nani also had a great game, and you could make the argument that he was United's best player. He set up United's first goal with a long, skillful dribble down the left flank and generally made a nuisance of himself to Fulham's defense all night.

Michael Carrick: 7.0

Carrick was pretty quiet, but that's not a bad thing from your holding midfielder.

Antonio Valencia: 7.5

Valencia gets extra marks for moving to right back after Jones' injury. He also scores highly for his assist on Dimitar Berbatov's late goal. Otherwise, Valencia had a solid game.

Forwards

Wayne Rooney: 7.5

Before he scored his wonder goal, Rooney was already having a good game. As usual, he was the focus of United's attack. He linked play at times and held it up at others. He was dangerous throughout and took his half-chance with memorable skill.

Danny Welbeck: 7.0

Welbeck took his chance well and put himself in dangerous spots throughout the full 90 minutes.

Substitutes

Ashley Young: 5.5

Young replaced Jones in the 20th minute and didn't really impress. He was United's only wide player not to create chances consistently.

Park Ji-Sung: 6.5

Park replaced Young in the 59th minute and turned in his usual high-energy performance. He could prove valuable to United as they try to make it through this difficult time.

Dimitar Berbatov: 6.5

Berbatov replaced Welbeck in the 77th minute and didn't take long to find the back of the net. That back-heel was really something else, wasn't it?