Joshua Zirkzee is chased by two Sunderland players. (Image: Getty)
Manchester United sleepwalked through a 0-0 draw with Sunderland and instead of qualifying for the Champions League, they languished in a draw that didn’t even put them in the North East. Amad and Joshua Zirkzee made the most of United’s chances in both halves, but they were of little use as the hosts were unlucky not to collect all three points.
Manager Michael Carrick made five changes from the team that beat Liverpool 3-2 last time out, but without Casemiro and Benjamin Sesco, they struggled to build up from the back, with Senne Lamence unable to go long as his usual target man.
Express Sport takes a look at the performances of United’s players here.
Manchester United vs Sunderland player rating (4-3-3)
Noah Sadiki should have scored an early goal after making a smart save early on and being sent flying in front of goal. He made another superb stop in the second half, this time denying Brian Brobbey from entering the penalty area, and was by far United’s top performance.
Michael Carrick was one of the five changes made for the visit to Sunderland, but struggled against Kemsuddin Talbi and often outplayed the Moroccan full-back. His typically exquisite passing also failed to make a dent in the game.
The aerial duel was also good and United had their best chance in the first half. You’ll be happy that you’re well-organized and kept a clean sheet.
He is set to participate in next season’s Champions League, and will play for the first time in about a month in order to strengthen his fitness before the end of the season. His death wasn’t the usual good stuff, and he was often physically bullied by Blobby.
He pushed for a place in England’s World Cup squad led by manager Thomas Tuchel in the final stages, and showed a modest but solid performance. Maybe we were a bit lucky that we didn’t give away a penalty in the second half due to the conflict with Blobby.
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Deeper operations had to be done in the absence of Casemiro and Manuel Ugarte, and everything was done through him. United’s pulse was high today, but they were perhaps tasked with overdoing it.
Koby Mainu directed the play from deep. (Image: Getty)
I tried my best, but I stumbled in the middle. He made some important blocks in the first half as Sunderland continued to increase the pressure. He was booked for a series of fouls just before the hour mark.
The FWA Player of the Year spent much of the first half giving instructions to his teammates, but was unable to live up to the award he received hours earlier.
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The chances came close early on, but we needed to get on the ball more regularly. It should have been better when he put a through ball into the goal and squared it, but there was no other teammate nearby.
He was given a valuable starting chance and could have been included in the shop window, but like Sesco, he struggled to maintain play and missed a free header. Pulled up after an hour for Patrick Dorg.
He wasn’t seen too often either out wide or in the middle, and his only highlight was a smart cross from Zirkzee. He had a very late chance from the left, but he refused to shoot. Moments later, he took a shot from the penalty spot, but it was well saved. We then booked a few minutes of wild diving.
His introduction allowed Cunha to play in midfield, linking up well with Shaw and providing encouragement after his long absence.
I’m surprised it took this long to get him.
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