Adam Marshall assesses the individual performances in the Reds' 1-1 draw with Newcastle...
David De Gea: Made a world-class save to deny Fabricio Coloccini after also thwarting Demba Ba in the first half. Had no chance with Ba's penalty and handled every cross with immaculate ease and authority.
Fabio: A tigerish display full of passion that should have resulted in a goal, only for his finish to lack composure after playing a one-two with Javier Hernandez. Sent the cross over for Ryan Giggs' first-half opportunity and made a couple of snappy challenges on Jonas Gutierrez - one of which earned him a yellow card.
Nemanja Vidic: Supreme in the air and managed to nullify most of Newcastle's attacking intentions. Made one thumping, but fair, challenge on Ba and forced a superb save out of Tim Krul with a diving header.
Rio Ferdinand: Outmuscled Ba on numerous occasions but also dribbled past him too, showing silk and steel. Blocked a Gabriel Obertan drive and stopped a dangerous Hatem Ben Arfa pass at the start of the second half. But his most telling contribution was what looked a fair sliding tackle on the Frenchman that resulted in the controversial penalty.
Patrice Evra: With Obertan's presence possibly restricting his attacking intentions, the shackles were released after the second half and he was much more involved. Blocked one Obertan cross with his arm from point-blank range but a penalty would have been harsh. His best moment was setting up a chance for Ashley Young and he made another superb pass down the line to the winger soon afterwards. Drilled in one shot that forced a diving save out of Krul late on.
Nani: Failed to see much of the ball in the opening exchanges, having to come deep to get involved. A switch of flanks saw him set up a chance for Hernandez and he curled a shot over the bar after working a short corner with Ryan Giggs. Returned to the right to run at the visiting defence and carved out clear openings for Wayne Rooney and Young before being fouled by Jonas Gutierrez that led to a red card for the Argentinian.
Michael Carrick: A strong, disciplined performance which featured some tough tackling as he was a vital figure throughout. Kept the ball rolling in midfield and there's little doubting he's in good form at the moment.
Ryan Giggs: A neat backheel early on showed his class and this was a composed display in the midfield engine room. Some driving runs lifted the crowd and showed he is still able to glide past players effortlessly with his wonderful balance. A flicked shot forced a great stop out of Krul in the first half and he set up Hernandez for the last-gasp disallowed goal.
Ashley Young: Really struggled to make his mark in the first half as United's wide players were unable to get into the game. The second period was a different story as he smashed a shot inches wide from an Evra pass and saw a cross intercepted by Krul with Hernandez waiting for a tap-in. Was unable to steer into a gaping net under strong pressure from Steven Taylor and was out of luck when his drive smacked a post late on.
Wayne Rooney: Instantly involved and kept his cool despite Ben Arfa's attempts to provoke him following a challenge with Fabricio Coloccini. A controlled volley with his left foot led to the goal and he headed a Young corner over the top but most of his work came deeper on the pitch as he tried to probe with some intelligent passing.
Javier Hernandez: Had a number of shots throughout, firing a Nani pass over in the first half, and playing high up on the Newcastle backline. Netted for the first time at Old Trafford this season when Steven Taylor's clearance cannoned off him but he was caught offside on a few occasions, inevitably given his advanced position, and most crucially when touching home deep into injury time.
Substitutes:
Federico Macheda (for Evra, 88): Did well to try and make things happen despite his limited time on pitch and the fact he's only just returned from injury. Headed his only chance wide.
Chris Smalling (for Fabio, 90): No time for any impact.
source : Manutd
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