United 1 Palace 2 (aet) [players rating]

Our assessment of United's individual performances in the Carling Cup game against Crystal Palace will appear here shortly...

Ben Amos Kicked well all night and had no chance with either Crystal Palace goal. Only called into action once, when he dived to his right to keep out a long-range free-kick.

Rafael One of United's brightest sparks until he was forced off the pitch in the second half. Very strong defensively and also showed his usual attacking thrust.

Chris Smalling A fabulous performance from the young centre-back. Won a number of tackles and, as always, remained cool under pressure from attackers.

Jonny Evans Lost Glenn Murray for the briefest of moments for Palace's second goal but it was the only slight blip on an otherwise excellent evening. Looked supremely solid.

Fabio There was a good battle shaping up between the Brazilian and Palace's tricky winger, Wilfried Zaha, but unfortunately Fabio limped off with a hamstring injury.

Antonio Valencia A stunning turn and outside-of-the-foot pass ignited the first half and Valencia was also central to the Reds' late but ultimately unsuccessful charge. Mucked in defensively, too.

Darron Gibson An encouraging performance given he's not started a first-team game for seven months. Passed the ball well but was frustrated at times by a lack of movement ahead.

Ji-sung Park A largely quiet evening for the Korean, who struggled to assert himself on the game until its latter stages.

Federico Macheda Showed great maturity and nerve to step up to convert the penalty he won but his influence was otherwise limited, although in fairness he was deployed in an unfamiliar wide role.

Mame Biram Diouf Palace's physical approach at the back seemed to unsettle the Senagelse striker, although he went close at the end of the first half with an acrobatic attempt.

Dimitar Berbatov Came off at half-time after picking up a knock on 20 minutes. Never really got going either before or after that blow, though.

SUBSTITUTES
Ezekiel Fryers (for Fabio)
A strong performance from the young left-back, although could have cleared his lines better on a couple of occasions. Generally, though, a very bright outing.

Ravel Morrison (for Berbatov)
Injected creativity and urgency to the game and pulled off a number of clever flicks/passes. Influence waned slightly as the match entered extra-time.

Paul Pogba (for Rafael)
Did himself no harm with a solid if not spectacular showing in the centre of midfield. Almost scored with a belting shot from 25 yards soon after coming on.

source : Manutd

United 1 Newcastle 1 (Ratings)

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

United 2 Benfica 2 (Player Ratings)

David De Gea Dealt smartly with a Pablo Aimar shot and also made a more routine save from the Argentinian but he'll be disappointed it was his kick-out that led to the Benfica forward's equaliser. Otherwise, he was very assured and had no chance with the own goal.

Fabio A tough character who made some spiky challenges and tackled with gusto. A casual chip allowed Artur to save when clean through in the second half but he also crossed well for a gilt-edged Dimitar Berbatov chance. Made one excellent recovery tackle after losing the ball high up the field.

Patrice Evra Struggled initially to cope with Nicolas Gaitan, who was playing on the right, but grew in stature and went on to enjoy an impressive display. Joined the attack with his usual vigour and enterprise and it was his excellent centre that created Darren Fletcher's strike.

Phil Jones After being moved into the middle due to Nemanja Vidic's suspension, the young defender suffered an awful start when putting through his own net in the third minute - although Gaitan's cross did take a slight deflection off Evra. Recovered his composure and one piece of beligerent play led to a clear chance for Fabio.

Rio Ferdinand Calm and unflappable throughout but was angry with the second goal United conceded. The ball struck him at an awkward height and fell invitingly for Pablo Aimar to slam in from close range as Benfica replied almost instantly to Fletcher's goal.

Antonio Valencia A little quiet, even if he did link up well with Fabio on a couple of occasions. Was unable to make the most of one promising break in the first half and was replaced with 10 minutes remaining by Javier Hernandez.

Michael Carrick A fine display as he grew more adventurous in his passing and helped United dictate matters at times. Some crunching tackles were a feature of his play and he was hugely unlucky to be booked for a fair one on Aimar. The yellow card means he misses the crunch trip to Basel. A sweeping pass to Nani out on the left was a highlight.

Darren Fletcher Neat and tidy in midfield and tracked back intelligently. Of course, his goal edged United in front, reacting sharply when Artur saved his initial shot to prod home his finish into an empty net. Was beaten by Rodrigo when the forward shot wide in the dying seconds but he can be well pleased with his work.

Nani Clearly up for the challenge of facing his fellow countryman, he was robust and firm in the tackle. A slalom run got the crowd on its feet, only for Ezequiel Garay to end it with a crude foul and he was given some rough treatment. Assisted Dimitar Berbatov's header with a superb cross and teed up Ashley Young for a great chance in the second half. Had a penalty shout rejected.

Ashley Young Worked hard in an advanced role, playing centrally off Berbatov, but was unable to get on the scoresheet. Was thwarted by Artur in a one-on-one seconds after Berbatov's equaliser and he was unable to convert a Nani centre after the interval. Drifted offside on a few occasions but that was understandable as he tried to adapt to a role he's not really been used in at Old Trafford.

Dimitar Berbatov Had a quiet opening as he led the line but his influence grew markedly after placing a header wide of Artur from Nani's cross. Garay deflected a shot from the Bulgarian over the bar and he was guilty of blasting a volley over the top that could have won the points late on. Twice tapped into an empty net after the whistle had gone.

SUBSTITUTES
Javier Hernandez (for Valencia, 80) Had little sniff of goal after coming on for the final stages.

Chris Smalling (for Fabio, 82) Tasted some action towards the end and was unable to steal the headlines with a wild shot well over the top.

source : Manutd

Player ratings v Swansea

19/11/2011 21:00, Report by A Bostock, G Thompson

We assess how the Reds performed in the win over Swansea at the Liberty Stadium...

David De Gea - Showed safe handling on crosses and made a great save when called upon early in the second half to thwart Sinclair at the near post.

Phil Jones – A solid return to his day job for United at right-back, after two games in midfield for England. Was unlucky not to open his goalscoring account after hitting the post in the dying stages.

Nemanja Vidic – Courage and command summed up by a diving header to clear from Danny Graham’s boot at a second-half corner. A typically colossal display from the skipper.

Rio Ferdinand – Played to Vidic’s left and was in the right place at the right time on several occasions, not least when he denied Williams with the second of two blocks in quick succession as the Swans threatened to equalise.

Patrice Evra – Was tested by the pace of Nathan Dyer and took a blow in the face just before half-time which eventually forced him off soon after the restart.

Nani – Had a quiet game on the whole but almost iced his 25th birthday cake with virtually the last kick of the game, curling a shot just beyond the far post.

Michael Carrick – Made his first league start of 2011/12 and received special praise from the manager after the game following an immense performance. His passing was top-notch and he also made some brave tackles at key moments.

Ryan Giggs – Recalled to the eleven for the first time since the Anfield trip after a spell out injured, the Welshman ruthlessly punished Angel Rangel’s error to set up Hernandez’s winner. There was no romantic outcome for a direct free-kick however, as he bent his shot wide.

Ji-sung Park – Operated on the left flank and put in another solid shift in what was a decent team performance overall. Was on hand to provide cover defensively when needed.

Javier Hernandez – Away from home this season Chicha has had six shots on target and five have resulted in goals – that’s some going from Mexican. Was in the right place at the right time once more to slot home the winner.

Wayne Rooney – Like Jones, Wazza also reverted to a more familiar position, playing in behind Hernandez and providing the Mexican with some excellent service. Went close to netting himself with a chipped effort in the final minutes.

Substitutes

Fabio (for Evra, 51 mins) – Provided good energy down the left and, as always, enjoyed getting stuck into the action.

Darren Fletcher (for Giggs, 76 mins) – Brought on to sure up the midfield late on and went about his job with typical determination and desire.

Antonio Valencia (for Hernandez, 84 mins) – Looked sharp, and played a lovely pass through to Jones who went on to smack the woodwork.

source : Manutd