Manchester United have failed to get back to winning ways in the Premier League as they were held by Southampton but there were mitigating circumstances at Old Trafford.
Erik ten Hag named a strong side for the game, with Bruno Fernandes playing in a deeper midfield role alongside Casemiro. Jadon Sancho came in for Fred and the young winger played centrally behind Wout Weghorst.
That pre-match setup looked encouraging but that would all change roughly 30 minutes into the first half when Casemiro was given his marching orders for a challenge on Carlos Alcaraz.
Interestingly, United’s output in all areas of the pitch improved after going down to 10 men and looked like they might win the game after all.
Man United Player Ratings
David de Gea – 7
Made a couple of impressive saves, including a trademark reflex save on Theo Walcott.
Aaron Wan-Bissaka – 8
Handled his defensive actions well and started some good attacks.
Raphael Varane – 10
Completely flawless, didn’t put a foot wrong over the 90 minutes.
Lisandro Martinez – 9
The type of performance we are used to at this point.
Luke Shaw – 8
Showed leadership when United were up against it.
Casemiro – N/A
He will argue that the sending-off was harsh but that’s now eight games he will have missed through suspension this season. Will not feature for United in the league until mid-April.
Bruno Fernandes – 7
Carried out his slightly different role fairly well.
Marcus Rashford – 7
Isolated for most of the time.
Jadon Sancho – 5
Something still seems off, just doesn’t have that silky touch anymore. Hopefully, he can turn it around soon.
Antony – 7
Kept on the pitch for the majority of the game and that’s most likely because he has the mentality you want in your team when you’re up against it.
Wout Weghorst – 6
The sacrificial lamb when Casemiro was sent off.
