Player Ratings as Red Devils Secure Spot in Fourth Round

Juan Mata
The Manchester United players celebrating Juan Mata’s successful spot-kick | Catherine Ivill/Getty Images

Manchester United eased into the fourth round of the Carabao Cup after beating Championship side Luton Town 3-0 on Tuesday night.

Juan Mata opened the scoring late in the first half from the spot after George Moncur clumsily brought down Brandon Williams inside the hosts’ box.

Chances came few and far between for both sides in the second period before substitutes Marcus Rashford and Mason Greenwood ensured United’s progression with a pair of well-taken strikes late on.

Here are the Red Devils’ player ratings from their Carabao Cup triumph.

Dean Henderson (GK) – 7/10 – Was rarely tested on his Manchester United debut before making a superb save to prevent Tom Lockyer’s header hitting the back of the net with ten minutes remaining.

Aaron Wan-Bissaka (RB) – 5/10 – Felt a little sorry for the right-back in possession; often isolated with a lack of width provided down the right by Mata which meant he faced one-v-two situations on the ball. Rarely targeted down the left so was pretty inactive defensively.

Eric Bailly (CB) – 7/10 – A few poor decisions in regards to positioning but covered space really well and was dominant in duels. Progressive in possession but sloppy too.

Harry Maguire (CB) – 6/10 – Outwitted by the crafty Danny Hylton on a couple of occasions and wasn’t the most convincing of centre-back performances. Typically immense in the air.

Brandon Williams (LB) – 5/10 – Won United’s first-half penalty by outfoxing a reckless Moncur. However, struggled to provide width and depth for the visitors down the left due to his stronger right-foot. Erratic in possession and booked for his troubles on what was a mixed night for the Englishman.

Fred (DM) – 8/10 – His typical tenacious self in the middle of the park and proved dynamic with the ball at his feet. Looked to maintain the tempo of United’s attacks with quick ball-circulation and constant discovery of angles once he’d passed elsewhere.

Nemanja Matic (DM) – 7/10 – Fantastic out of possession as usual; constantly disrupting Luton from penetrating through the centre, although he was caught out in transition a couple of times. Press-resistant in possession and brilliant in tight spaces. Could’ve perhaps distributed the ball a bit quicker in periods of sustained United possession to manipulate Luton’s defensive block but a fine showing nonetheless.

Juan Mata (AM) – 8/10 – The Spaniard was usually the man to kickstart any combinations between United’s creators and often attempted to probe and penetrate the Luton defence via intricate through balls. Dispatched penalty with precision.

Donny van de Beek (AM) – 7/10 – Rarely wasted a touch and supreme space interpretation was laid bare. A couple of ingenious flicks early on and movement was certainly causing Luton a problem before influence waned as the contest progressed.

Jesse Lingard (AM) – 6/10 – Bright throughout with clever movement and darting runs through the centre. Took up dangerous positions between the lines and established a healthy dynamic with van de Beek.

Odion Ighalo (ST) – 4/10 – A forgettable display. Struggled to hold the ball up or combine with creators behind him. Handed a great opportunity on the counter to put United two goals ahead but appeared indecisive and squandered the chance.

Bruno Fernandes – 6/10

Marcus Rashford – 7/10

Mason Greenwood – 7/10