Player Ratings: Manchester United 0-1 West Bromwich Albion

Manchester City have won the 2017-18 Premier League title.

Manchester United were disappointing to say the least, as it rained on their derby win parade when West Bromwich Albion, the rock bottom team of the Premier League, saw only their fourth win this season arrive at Old Trafford.

The magic goal from Jay Rodriguez, courtesy of a Nemanja Matic mistake, gifted the title to their Sky Blue neighbors. From sublime to pathetic, United’s week has ended in disappointment, and their noisy rivals will be grinning from side to side.

Here’s how the sides fared during the rainy encounter at the Theatre of Dreams:

Manchester United

David De Gea- 6.0

Little could have been done by the handy Spaniard to save the goal that went through, and that was the sole duty in a dull evening for the shot-stopper.

Antonio Valencia- 6.5

Remained an attacking threat, but didn’t prove to be enough. Could have done a lot more in the dying minutes when United had a plethora of attacking options storming to the West Brom goal.

Victor Lindelof- 7.1

Much to everyone’s surprise, he was the best defender for his side, but all in vain.

Chris Smalling- 6.8

Try as he might, he couldn’t replicate his well-headed goal from last week, despite two great chances identical to it in the dying moments.

Ashley Young- 6.5

Was poor in driving United’s flank in the first-half, and was often too late in runs that could have ended otherwise. Not his usual self.

Ander Herrera- 6.7

Didn’t have the flair that dictated his presence against Manchester City. Despite having a 96% passing success, the quality and directness of attack improved quite a bit after he was subbed off, and that ought to tell the tale.

Nemanja Matic- 6.3

As far as technicality goes, he is the man who handed over the trophy prematurely to Manchester City. His poor headed mistake while defending the corner went straight to Rodriguez, who scored the stadium-quieting winner.

Paul Pogba- 6.9

Mourinho had warned the Frenchman after his heroic brace from last week that he still has to deliver consistent performances, and this is precisely what the Portuguese gaffer was on about. Almost dreadful at times, his attacking swagger was more or less pointless, and the sheer number of opportunities he wasted was frustrating to see.

Juan Mata- 7.5

Was good in the first half, and made a lot of strides to ensure United kept possession, but when it came to his feet to translate or create a chance into goal, he was substandard. Despite that, such was the home side’s plight that his below-par performance was the best among the lot.

Romelu Lukaku- 6.6

Two shots, both on target. A definitive one-up to his zero from last week, but all in vain at the end. Tried heading the ball on great occasions, but was denied by a superb goalkeeping performance. However, much more could have been done by the Belgian to win the game even before West Brom scored.

Alexis Sanchez- 7.2

No attempts on goal whatsoever, and while his relentless strides at ensuring the game remained creative and the attacking presence were constant, it wasn’t at all working.

Substitutes

Anthony Martial- 6.0

Had a clear chance at making something happen, but it was squandered away by Jesse Lingard. But his substitution sparked some hope into the game, though it couldn’t be translated into anything more.

Jesse Lingard- 6.2

Brought a directness onto the field of play that was almost absent from United during the entirety of the first half. But he still let on too many errors, one, in particular, that could have ended in a goal.

Marcus Rashford- 5.6

Couldn’t do much for the 20 odd minutes for which he was brought on.

West Bromwich Albion

Ben Foster- 8.1

More so than their winning goal, West Brom have his antics in front of the posts to thank for their three points, and so do City. Almost perfect in his duties, he also managed to make a save that was quite De Gea-esque in nature to frustrate United.

Allan Nyom- 6.4

Craig Dawson- 6.8

Ahmed Hegazy- 7.8

The best defender on the pitch, he held his own quite well, and more importantly, was able to steer the entire defense in a manner that was quite effective in neutralizing United on the few occasions they seemed like a threat.

Kieran Gibbs- 7.2

Matthew Phillips- 6.0

Jake Livermore- 6.8

Chris Brunt- 6.8

James McClean- 7.4

Jose Rondon- 6.0

Jay Rodriguez- 8.3

A consistent threat throughout the game, his specialty stood in his perseverance at the front. United weren’t capitalizing on their chances, and whenever the ball was lost, justice was done by him quite well. His goal, despite being provided by mistake, was perfectly buried into the back of the net.

Substitutes

Krychowiak- 6.1

Daniel Sturridge- 4.0

Claudio Yacob- NA