Manchester United v Chelsea: man markings

03 April 2010 17:43
Manchester United [LNB]Van der Sar 6 Could not do much about either Chelsea goal and distributed the ball ably. Even had a late sally up front to try and find an equaliser. [LNB]Neville 5 Was given a torrid time by Malouda and Zhirkov and resorted to clattering the Frenchman just before half time. [LNB]Ferdinand 7 Made some crucial interventions as Chelsea poured forward in the first half and was United's most composed defender. [LNB]Vidic 6 Solid at the back but could not take advantage of the couple of headed chances he had from United set pieces. [LNB]Evra 6 An improvement on his poor show in Munich on Tuesday night but was embarrassed by Cole flicking the ball through his legs for the opener. [LNB]Valencia 6 Started well by taking on Zhirkov with his bursts of acceleration but faded as the game wore on. [LNB]Fletcher 6 Tried to keep pace with Chelsea's midfield but cut a lonely figure at times as he ran hard trying to stem the tide. [LNB]Scholes 5 The game passed him by in the first half and he resorted to fouling the Chelsea midfielders. Was rightly booked for a wild lunge at Malouda and was replaced before he got into more trouble. [LNB]Park 5 Could not provide the necessary link play and gave the ball away too often.Improved a bit in the second half but seemed to lack confidence. [LNB]Giggs 6 Uncharacteristically sloppy in possession and never quite got into to full flow. Should have been fresh but looked jaded. [LNB]Berbatov 6 Worked hard to get into the game but was starved of service and support. Had a late volleyed chance to equalise but failed to connect cleanly. [LNB]Subs: Nani (for Scholes 71) 7 Macheda (for Park 71) 7 Gibson (for Fletcher 86) 6 [LNB]Ferguson 6 Angry at losing to an offside goal but his side were outplayed for much of this game. Might regret not making more changes to a side that looked jaded. [LNB]Chelsea [LNB]Cech 6 Did not have an awful lot to do and was unlucky when his punched clearance ricocheted into the net off Macheda's chest and arm. [LNB]Ferreira 7 An alert performance from a player whose Chelsea days had appeared over. Missed a great chance to score when put through by Cole. [LNB]Alex 7 There was little out there to trouble the big Brazilian and he was typically dominant in the air. [LNB]Terry 8 Was uncompromising and aggressive, getting tight to Berbatov and imposing himself upon the United striker. [LNB]Zhirkov 7 Still looks vulnerable defensively but his pace and stamina was influential going forward. Combined well with Malouda to give Neville a headache. [LNB]Deco 7 Booked for a late tackle on Giggs but was otherwise a quick and witty user of the ball, linking play and twisting away from United tackles. [LNB]Mikel 7 Park tried to get in his face in the first half but he played will calm and poise and broke up United's efforts to get forward. [LNB]Lampard 7 Ran the game as he dominated midfield in the first half but was far less influential after the break. [LNB]Cole 8 A much improved performance in front of Engl;and general manager Franco Baldini. Impish flicked finish for the first goal. Faded somewhat after the break though. [LNB]Malouda 9 Another outstanding performance from the Premier League's in-form player. Made the first goal and cut through United's defence at will. [LNB]Anelka 7 Preferred to Drogba, Anelka darted in and out of the United back four, linking play and threatening the space behind. Should have had a penalty when flattened by Neville. [LNB]Subs:Drogba (for Anelka 69) 8 Kalou (for Cole 73) 7 Ballack (for Deco 81) 6 [LNB]Ancelotti 8 Got it spot on by urging his team to play with intensity from the first minute and capitalise on United's fatigue after their trip to Munich. His gamble to use Drogba as an impact sub paid off. [LNB]

Source: Telegraph