Manchester United

3.29

• 
  131

  29

  2.50

  David de Gea

  The Spaniard has been much-discussed over the last week after a blunder late on against Tottenham, but he had very little to do today. Perhaps could have got more on Hughes’ headed goal, but it did not matter much in the end.

• 
  137

  9

  3.00

  Chris Smalling

  Smalling and Co. were up against former United man Berbatov and Ruiz today, but they did their job well, and Smalling looked comfortable throughout. The ex-Fulham man bailed out Carrick in the first-half when the midfielder lost the ball in a dangerous area, but almost gave away a penalty just before half-time.

• 
  119

  13

  3.00

  Patrice Evra

  United spent the vast majority of the match attacking, so Evra did not have a great deal of defending to worry about, with Damien Duff effectively acting as a second right-back. Perhaps failed to cross as much as he would have liked, but he had a good evening.

• 
  153

  13

  3.50

  Phil Jones

  Jones dropped back into defence for the visit of Fulham after playing midfield against Tottenham and put in a very commanding performance as he continuously won headers, nipped in to make crucial interceptions and dealt well with any Fulham forward he had to tussle with.

• 
  156

  8

  3.50

  Rafael

  A fairly typical performance from the Brazilian as he marched up and down the right flank all evening, tackling well and providing a valuable asset in attack when supporting Nani. His bursts forward with the ball at his feet were particular highlights.

• 
  207

  7

  4.00

  Anderson

  Hit a few wayward passes early on, but he was the driving force of United’s midfield as he broke forward until being substituted. Whenever he advanced through the middle you could hear the expectation around Old Trafford and he was integral to several United attacks.

• 
  94

  31

  2.50

  Michael Carrick

  Not at his spell-binding best as he has for most of this season as he often dwelled on the ball and laid on a few poor passes. He was caught on the ball just inside his own half in the first half and Fulham looked to counter, but a wasted pass by Ruiz saw it come to an end. The visitors could have punished them on any other day.

• 
  175

  31

  3.50

  Nani

  The winger received a few jeers and groans from the crowd when his crosses did not meet their targets, but all-in-all he was very lively and positive. Always looked to take on his man and deliver into the danger area, and got himself into a number of good positions but struggled to beat the first man with some of his efforts. However, he grabbed himself an assist for Chicharito’s first goal.

• 
  171

  10

  4.00

  Ryan Giggs

  Looks far more comfortable, and useful, on the left-hand side than he does in the centre as he put in a number of excellent crosses and his close ball control meant Riether had a tough evening. Picked up an assist for Chicharito’s second goal as he played a very calm pass for the Mexican to run on to and he should have been awarded a penalty when his pass over Damien Duff was handled by the Irishman.

• 
  233

  9

  4.50

  Chicharito Top of the Match

  Chicharito was very quiet before half-time, but that just proved to be the calm before the storm as he bagged two goals in the second period. His first effort showed his classic predator instincts at work and the second he got a little lucky with after a deflection. He won’t complain, however, after a great second 45.

• 
  174

  21

  4.00

  Wayne Rooney

  The England star has not featured a great deal in recent weeks for United, primarily due to fitness issues, but he looked desperate to show he was back on form today. Aside from initiating attacks and having goalscoring opportunities, he was chasing lost causes throughout and generally looked sharp as he scored an excellent goal in the second half.

Substitutions

• 
  64

  68

  2.00

  Antonio Valencia

  Came on for the final 20 minutes or so, but with the match winding down he did not do a great deal.

• 
  110

  23

  3.00

  Paul Scholes

  Replaced Carrick with about 30 minutes left and put in a typical display as he flew in with risky challenges and passed well.

• 
  174

  11

  3.00

  Shinji Kagawa

  Came on alongside Valencia and was more involved, cutting inside from the left very often and almost grabbing a late goal.

Fulham

1.93

• 
  29

  17

  2.00

  Mark Schwarzer

  Made several good saves from Nani and Rooney, particularly when he got down to make a stop from the England striker in the first half, diverting the ball on to the bar. Ultimately lost the duel as Rooney netted in the second half and was beaten from the spot by Giggs despite diving the right way. Could do little to prevent the other two United goals.

• 
  5

  25

  1.50

  Aaron Hughes

  This will be a match Hughes will want to forget. The Northern Irish defender conceded a penalty in the first few minutes which Giggs buried, while he was run ragged by Rooney. Redeemed himself a little with a consolation goal.

• 
  2

  37

  1.00

  Brede Hangeland Flop of the Match

  Fulham set out with a deep-lying defence likely to counter the danger posed by Hernandez running in behind, but United adapted with some excellent football and Hangeland struggled to cope. The defender was turned inside out for Rooney’s goal and United looked like scoring almost every time they came forward, particularly after half-time.

• 
  7

  22

  1.50

  Chris Baird

  The Fulham utility man offered very little to counter United’s dominance in midfield and was subsequently replaced by Karagounis at half-time.

• 
  10

  17

  2.00

  John Arne Riise

  The former Liverpool man certainly had his hands full up against the erratic but dangerous Nani. The Portugal international’s twisting and turning caused him a lot of problems, while the presence of the winger and Rafael meant he was unable to support Kacaniklic, leaving the Swede isolated on the left.

• 
  9

  21

  2.00

  Sascha Riether

  Didn’t have things much easier than Riise on the other side. Admittedly Evra was not quite as adamant to get into the Fulham penalty area as usual, Giggs’ trickery was very problematic, while the German allowed the veteran to get far too many crosses in.

• 
  5

  24

  1.50

  Alexander Kacaniklic

  It would be easy to criticise the Sweden international for not getting involved, but Fulham rarely used him even when they did have the ball. The few occasions he did see possession on the left, Rafael was very tight to him.

• 
  16

  15

  2.50

  Damien Duff

  One of the few Fulham players who looked like doing something in attack, but even then he found himself coming inside a great deal, therefore advancing straight into where United were well-stocked. Very lucky not to give the hosts a second penalty in the first half, and was substituted on the hour mark for Rodallega.

• 
  5

  25

  2.00

  Steve Sidwell

  Deployed in midfield for his combativeness and tenacity, and although he did get in Carrick’s face on a number of instances, Anderson was still allowed a lot of time and space in the centre. Passed well, but did not do enough to thwart United’s midfield dominance.

• 
  17

  18

  2.00

  Bryan Ruiz

  Showed flashes of his ability with clever flicks and fancy skill, but there was not enough substance to his play. When in a good position his passing often let him down, while he was very predictable on the ball as he always shifted the ball to his left foot.

• 
  49

  22

  2.50

  Dimitar Berbatov

  Did not look at all fussed by the occasion of returning to his former stomping ground as he appeared as calm as ever. His performance was laden with first-time flicks, but they rarely aided his team as Jones and Smalling bossed the match with their physical presence.

Substitutions

• 
  21

  17

  2.00

  Ashkan Dejagah

  Replaced Ruiz with 20 minutes to go and had a few shots, but did not do anything that stood out.

• 
  19

  14

  2.50

  Giorgos Karagounis

  Came on at half-time and was more involved than Baird, but as Fulham defended for much, if not all, of the second half he did not see much time on the ball. Put in a good cross for their goal.

• 
  6

  24

  2.00

  Hugo Rodallega

  Played about 25 minutes for the visitors and barely touched the ball as Jones won header after header in their short-lived and one-sided battle.