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Player Ratings: Manchester United 3-1 Leicester City

Sports Mole rates the performances of the players on show during Manchester United's 3-1 home victory over Leicester City.

Robin van Persie and Radamel Falcao scored first-half goals to help Manchester United ease to a 3-1 win over Leicester City this afternoon.

The pair scored within five minutes of each other, while an own goal from Leicester defender Wes Morgan put the home side three goals to the good before the break.

Marcin Wasilewski pulled one back for the away side late on, but it did not have a major impact on the outcome.

Here, Sports Mole rates the performances of all of the players on show at Old Trafford.



MAN UNITED

Radamel Falcao of Manchester United celebrates with teammate Wayne Rooney (L) of Manchester United after scoring his team's second goal during the Barclays Premier League match between Manchester United and Leicester City at Old Trafford on January 31, 20© Getty Images

Goal

David de Gea: United's goalkeeper was visibly annoyed to have conceded, but he barely had anything to do throughout the 90 minutes aside from that. (6/10)

Defence

Antonio Valencia: A steady showing from the makeshift right-back, who produced one piece of good defending to deny Schlupp an easy sight of goal. (6/10)

Phil Jones: With only one striker to contend with, Jones looked relatively comfortable in a defensive sense. However, he was bailed out by De Gea on one occasion following an underhit back-pass. (6/10)

Marcos Rojo: The centre-back was a solid influence and made some good interceptions, as well as some decent clearances. (7/10)

Luke Shaw: Back fit and reinstated to the side, Shaw looked accomplished. He linked very well with Januzaj and got forward at every opportunity. (7/10)

Midfield

Daley Blind: Playing at the base of the midfield diamond, Blind answered everything that was asked of him. He kept things simple, made interceptions and weighed in with the odd tackle. (7/10)

Adnan Januzaj: The 19-year-old has looked short of confidence for much of the season, but that was not the case today. He ran at Simpson whenever he could and was a constant threat. (8/10)

Angel di Maria: Playing in a more central midfield role, Di Maria was much better than in weeks gone by. He used his freedom well, with his pace causing numerous openings. (8/10)

Wayne Rooney: While a number of his attack-minded teammates flourished, the captain was largely quiet. He did make a couple of decent long passes, but that was about it. (6/10)

Attack

Radamel Falcao: As expected, the Colombian worked tirelessly for the cause and he was rewarded with a goal. (7/10)

Robin van Persie: The Dutchman showed good movement and took his goal well in a lively first-half showing. He was quieter before being substituted after the restart. (7/10)

Substitutes

Paddy McNair: The youngster came on at right-back following his goal for the Under-21s recently and got forward whenever he could. (6/10)

Juan Mata: He would probably have been disappointed not to have started, but Mata did little to fight his corner when he came on. The playmaker had little impact. (6/10)

James Wilson: The young striker made some intelligent and sharp runs in the closing stages, but his first touch let him down on an occasion when a goal looked inevitable. (6/10)


LEICESTER

Marcin Wasilewski of Leicester City celebrates after scoring a goal during the Barclays Premier League match between Manchester United and Leicester City at Old Trafford on January 31, 2015© Getty Images

Goal

Mark Schwarzer: The veteran Aussie knew that he would have to be at his best today, but he committed a big mistake that resulted in United's second goal. (5/10)

Defence

Danny Simpson: Up against a lively Januzaj, Simpson certainly had his hands full. However, on more than one occasion, he stood firm against the tricky Belgian. (7/10)

Marcin Wasilewski: The defender got his name on the scoresheet when the damage was already done. Defensively, he did not do too much wrong. (6/10)

Wes Morgan: Scored the own goal, although it did come at him quickly. There were occasions when the movement of Van Persie and Falcao proved difficult for Morgan to contend with. (6/10)

Ritchie de Laet: It was a steady enough showing from the former United full-back, who was largely error-free. (6/10)

Midfield

Danny Drinkwater: The midfielder worked hard, but when he needed to possess the quality to tee up Ulloa early in the second half, it was lacking. (6/10)

Andy King: It was actually tough to recall anything of note that King did, but he deserves some credit for his work rate. (5/10)

Jeffrey Schlupp: There was the odd occasion when his pace threatened to upset the United rearguard, but too often his final pass or decision-making was poor. (6/10)

Jamie Vardy: He was the hero when the sides met earlier in the season. Playing out wide today, Vardy was largely ineffective before being replaced during the break. (5/10)

Attack

Andrej Kramari: The club-record signing did nothing of note in an attacking sense and was at fault for United's first goal. Leicester fans will no doubt be hoping for much more from him in the future. (5/10)

Leonardo Ulloa: He worked extremely hard, but he was often too isolated as a lone centre-forward. The Argentine had one decent opening, but lost his balance at the vital moment. (6/10)

Substitutes

Esteban Cambiasso: The veteran Argentine was brought on at the break to lessen the damage and he did that with an assured 45-minute display. (6/10)

David Nugent: Playing in his preferred central role, Nugent looked sharp. He may well have had a goal as well, but for some smart work by De Gea. (6/10)

Marc Albrighton: He only came on for the closing stages, but Albrighton was arguably Leicester's most lively player. He looked confident and it was his cross that Wasilewski scored from. (7/10)


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Robin van Persie of Manchester United is congratulated by teammates Wayne Rooney and Adnan Januzaj after scoring his team's first goal during the Barclays Premier League match between Manchester United and Leicester City at Old Trafford on January 31, 201
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