Man United vs Chelsea Player Ratings

By FOX SPORTS staff

If the game was to be judged solely on the first 10 minutes, no one present at Old Trafford would have predicted the final score-line. Manchester United were 2-0 up by then, with Javier Hernandez heading his team's opener past Petr Cech before Wayne Rooney's free kick bobbled past all the blue shirts into the back of the net.

However, the game proved to be one of two halves as an Eden Hazard-led fight-back ensured Chelsea an equal amount of spoils. The Belgian scored his team's first goal, a curler from outside the penalty area, before Ramires pounced to nick the equalizer for Chelsea.

Manchester United

David De Gea - 7.5

There was very little that De Gea could do about the two goals he allowed to hit the back of the net in this one. The Spaniard was one of United's better performers during a wayward second half, building on a first period where he was hardly tested with some alert goalkeeping to keep out attempts from David Luiz and Juan Mata.

Rafael - 6.5

The Brazilian carried out more of his signature runs up the park when he did not have the presence of Eden Hazard to deal with. After the Chelsea substitute came on to work his magic, Rafael struggled to keep pace with him and often resorted to temporary measures of giving away throw-ins to slow down the former Lille man.

Rio Ferdinand - 7.0

England manager Roy Hodgson, who was watching from the stands, must have felt a twinge of regret watching Ferdinand turn in a commendable display for the Red Devils. The central defender was equal to almost everything thrown at him throughout the game and was his team's stand-out performer at the back.

Jonny Evans - 6.5

Whilst he was not responsible for as many last-ditch tackles and clearances as Ferdinand, Evans held his ground well under the barrage of Chelsea attacks in the second half. He did have certain nervy moments late on in the game, but was lucky that neither Mata nor Ashley Cole punished United for them.

Patrice Evra - 6.0

The Red Devils skipper had a quiet game, as he had his hands full tracking the criss-crossing runs of Moses and Mata. With United's early lead in the game, it was understandable for Evra to stick to his defensive duties, but he ran out of steam later on when his team could have benefitted from some supporting runs upfront.

Michael Carrick - 7.5

Perhaps the closest thing the Red Devils have to Paul Scholes in the line-up, Carrick did his best to pull the strings from midfield. His floated pass to Hernandez for the opener was nothing short of a peach, but he could not find a similar amount of composure when the tide turned blue in the second half.

Tom Cleverley - 6.0

Although Cleverley was full of tireless running throughout the game, it would be hard to isolate a point in the game where he was pivotal. To make matters worse, he seemed to tire very early on in the second half, allowing the Chelsea midfield to overrun his team-mates.

Nani (off 47') - 7.0

The Portuguese had a point to prove to the home fans in this one and he got it across by being a thorn in the Chelsea defence. It was a pity he was not afforded the opportunity to finish the game as United could have benefitted from his speedy runs when they were looking for the winner.

Shinji Kagawa (off 76') - 6.5

After his recent hat-trick against Norwich, Red Devils fans were expecting a little more from Kagawa than the tame showing he turned in for this one. Although he was given time on the ball during the first half, the Japanese international struggled to play the right pass to his team-mates and lost out in the physical battle during the second period.

Wayne Rooney - 7.0

With Old Trafford cheering him on, Rooney turned in a typically conscientious performance for United. Scoring early on with a free kick to silence any speculation of his future, the England international would likely be disappointed that he could not find a second to secure the team a win.

Javier Hernandez (off 63') - 7.0

The dangerman for the Red Devils in the first half, Hernandez was sneaking around and past the Chelsea defenders with ease. However, he just could not keep up that level of performance in the second-half, forcing Sir Alex Ferguson into making a change.

Substitutes

Antonio Valencia (on 47') - 5.0

Valencia turned in a display of speed and stamina, but had nothing to show for it because of he was let down by several wayward crosses.

Danny Welbeck (on 76') - N/A

Robin van Persie (on 63') - 4.5

Sensing that the tide was turning away from his team, Ferguson threw in his top scorer. However, van Persie spent most of his time chasing shadows and was hardly the threat that United needed.

Chelsea

Petr Cech - 6.0

It was not an outing to remember for the Chelsea custodian, as disastrous positioning allowed Hernandez to score the game's first goal. His defenders demonstrated a lack of trust in him on several occasions after the calamity, although he did redeem himself slightly with a double reflex save to keep out Rooney's attempt and Luiz's accidental rebound.

Cesar Azpilicueta - 6.5

The Spaniard did not offer much going forward, but stuck to his task of pressuring whoever ventured down his wing. Pressing high up the pitch, Azpilicueta's energy ensured that United could not make use of his flank to launch quick counters.

Gary Cahill - 5.0

Losing Hernadez completely during the run-up to the first goal, Cahill was not at all impressive in this game. He struggled to match the movement of the Red Devils attackers at times and appeared to be a liability in possession.

David Luiz - 6.5

Although it is unlikely that Luiz will be winning awards for defending anytime soon, the Brazilian remains undeterred in his characteristic runs upfield. These rampages do not always work out for Chelsea, but Luiz came close to adding his name to the score-sheet with a dipping shot that forced De Gea into a very difficult save.

Ashley Cole - 6.0

The left-back did plenty of running while trying to keep up with Nani and later Valencia down his flank. There was little offered from Cole attacking-wise besides an incisive through pass to Mata that cut through the United defence, but the midfielder could not deliver the lethal blow.

Frank Lampard (off 52') - 5.5

No longer the box-to-box midfielder he once was, Lampard could have justified his selection by getting on the score-sheet but he drilled his first-half attempt straight into the arms of De Gea. Nevertheless, the Chelsea faithful were unhappy to see him taken off.

Ramires - 7.5

The Brazilian only really began imposing himself in the second-half when he was freed from the shackles of being the midfield anchorman. His tireless runs up and down the pitch were rewarded with an opportune strike to level matters for Chelsea.

Oscar - 5.0

Struggling with the physicality of the Red Devils defence, Oscar failed to get a foothold in the game. The midfielder played slightly better in the second half when he was instructed to support Ba upfront, but was not consistent enough in his passing.

Juan Mata - 8.0

The Spaniard's dribbling and close control continue to set him apart from the rest, as he almost assisted Lampard and Victor Moses during the first half. Mata had a hand in every significant attack and was unlucky to not have gotten on the score-sheet himself.

Victor Moses (off 52') - 5.5

The former Wigan man got the upper hand against Evra a couple of times, but failed to produce anything of significance from his runs. His showing was best summed up by a wayward shot across the face of goal midway through the first half after being teed up brilliantly by Mata.

Demba Ba (off 77') - 6.0

For all his running and efforts, Ba was not able to carve out a decent chance at goal. That did not stop the Chelsea fans from howling when he was hauled off for Torres midway through the second period.

Substitutes

Mikel (on 52') - 6.0

Wanting to free up Ramires to be the link between midfield and attack, Benitez threw on Mikel in an ingenious substitution that changed the complexion of the game. Whilst the Nigerian did not do anything spectacular, he brought balance to an overly attacking midfield, forming a stable springboard to launch attacks.

Eden Hazard (on 52') - 7.5

A contender for Chelsea's man-of-the-match, Hazard's silky skills turned a tiring United defence inside out. The Belgian's goal was one of pure class that signalled the start of Chelsea's revival.

Fernando Torres (on 77') - N/A