Man Utd 5-1 Leeds: Player Ratings

An underwhelming Leeds side slumped to defeat at Old Trafford.

By Josh Ramsbottom@theleedsknees Aug 14, 2021, 3:07pm BST

Manchester United v Leeds United - Premier League — Patrick Bamford and Mateusz Klich look dejected after Manchester United score their fourth of the game.

Leeds United were convincingly crashed 5-1 by Manchester United in their opening fixture of the Premier League season at Old Trafford.

Bruno Fernandes scored a hattrick for the Red Devils, with Mason Greenwood and Fred adding to the visitors' misery.

A rocket from Luke Ayling early in the second half briefly levelled the scores. Here are the player ratings:

Illan Meslier - 6

Manchester United v Leeds United - Premier League - Old Trafford — Meslier defends a corner authoritavely.

Had a decent first half and made a couple of good saves. He was authoritative in the area when defending corners and generally showed good awareness to snuff out the danger. Got a touch on Bruno Fernandes’ opener but the power took it into the back of the net. Poorer in the second half, and could have done better for one or two of their goals.

Stuart Dallas - 6

Didn’t look overly comfortable at left-back in the first half, but handled Daniel James relatively well. Moved into midfield in the second half but that wasn’t enough to plug the gaps in Leeds’ defence. Struggled to make an impact against an excellent Man Utd side who made easy work of the visitors’ midfield. Got the assist for Ayling’s equaliser.

Liam Cooper - 6

Started the game well and held firm in the first half. Won the majority of his duels and got stuck in to keep Leeds in the game before the interval. Will inevitably get plenty of flack but there wasn’t too much he could have done to alter the scoreline.

Pascal Struijk - 6

Had a good first half and was overall the better of the two centre-backs, albeit marginally. His lack of pace was exploited on a number of occasions as Man Utd made easy work of Leeds’ midfield and Robin Koch left space in behind.

Luke Ayling - 7

WOOOOW!

Luke Ayling thumped that one home! pic.twitter.com/9eZGwBcKxT
— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) August 14, 2021

Quiet in the first half, but scored a rocket in the second to end his goal contribution drought and get off the goalscoring mark in the Premier League. It was a terrific strike that briefly levelled the scores. Was more involved defensively in the period afterwards but slipped back into obscurity when Man Utd took full control.

Robin Koch - 5.5

Man Utd asked a lot of the Kalvin Phillips replacement. He had some good moments on the ball and defended well at times but some of his passes were astray and he struggled to track Fernandes throughout the match. Can’t take anything away from the hosts but the scoreline may have been more respectable with Phillips shielding the defence.

Mateusz Klich - 6.5

A decent display from the Pole who looked jaded for much of last season. Forced a strong save from David de Gea during the first half and was unlucky to not get an assist from an excellent cross for Patrick Bamford. Found space well against a Man Utd save who defended effectively for most of the match.

Jack Harrison (off 69') - 6

Created a couple of chances but wasn’t as involved as he would have liked and struggled to get many crosses away out on the left. Had some decent moments on the ball, and it was disappointing to see him come off while Leeds were chasing the match.

Rodrigo Moreno (off 46') - 5.5

Ajax v Leeds United - Club Friendly — Rodrigo in action against Ajax.

Invisible for most of the first half and came off during the interval. Linked up well with Raphinha on one occasion and headed wide from the Brazilian’s free kick. Continued to struggle with his pressing playing in a midfield role.

Raphinha - 6.5

A lively performance that lacked the finishing quality. Won a few of corners for Leeds cutting inside and played in some dangerous balls from out wide. Much less impactful in the second half, but should have scored when Tyler Roberts put the ball on a plate in the latter stages - instead he dragged the shot wide despite having plenty of time to think about it.

Patrick Bamford (off 76') - 6

Ajax v Leeds United - Pre-season Friendly — Bamford in action against Ajax

Got close to one or two crosses but no clear chances for last season’s top scorer, who was isolated for much of the game. Pressed relatively well but Leeds lacking their usual electricity and relentless energy going forward may have lessened that particular impact.

Junior Firpo (on 46') - 6

Replaced Rodrigo at half-time to make his Premier League debut for the Whites. It was a harsh introduction to English football for Firpo, who perhaps could have done more to deny Fernandes his second goal. Only misplaced one pass and looked okay going forward but not the right conditions for the ex-Barca man to shine in.

Helder Costa (on 69') - 6

A volley that blazed over the bar was all that Costa had to show for his cameo. Not much he could have done to change the direction of the game in all fairness.

Tyler Roberts (on 76') - 6.5

To his credit he looked as lively as a striker can be when his team is 5-1 down after he replaced Bamford late on. Wasn’t too far off with a volley from distance and linked up play relatively well. Set up Raphinha nicely and should have bagged an assist from that chance.

Where did it all go wrong for Leeds? Give us your thoughts in the comments below and on Twitter.