Huddersfield Town fell to a 2-0 defeat to Manchester United at Old Trafford. It started out as a solid defensive display but Town struggled to find a response after they went behind. It was always going to be hard to get anything from this game, but I think there were signs of improvement in Town’s performance.
Here are my player ratings from the match.
Jonas Lössl – 8 out of 10
Made some good saves, including the penalty from Sanchez. It was unfortunate that the ball ricocheted off his body and straight out to the penalty taker. He played safe with his kicking, which was the right choice under the circumstances.
Terence Kongolo – 8 out of 10
We probably should have conceded a penalty for his brutal slam into McTominay in the first half, but I enjoyed seeing how committed he was. Made some good interceptions, made us look a lot more solid on the left, and looks composed on the ball. I personally think he could have got a bit further up the pitch at times, particularly when we were two down, but otherwise a great performance.
Christopher Schindler – 7 out of 10
Close to an 8, made a lot of tackles and blocks to keep United out. Kept Lukaku quiet for long periods but allowed him to get half a yard away from him for the opening goal, which was all he needed.
Zanka – 7 out of 10
Looked solid and organised without being exceptional. His positioning for defending the cross in the opening goal was a bit iffy, but otherwise, he did well.
Tommy Smith – 7 out of 10
Didn’t get forward particularly, but managed to keep things tight and didn’t make any mistakes. He and Kongolo played more like additional central defenders rather than fullbacks, allowing the wingers to drop deep when United attacked.
Jonathan Hogg – 6 out of 10
He’s been one of our better players during this bad patch of form but he didn’t have a good game against United. He worked hard but the skill of Manchester’s attacking players meant he was often chasing shadows.
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Philip Billing – 6 out of 10
Looked lively but silly to get booked so early in the game and was subbed. It’s a worry that Wagner didn’t trust him to control himself and avoid another booking but it may have been good management. We’ll need him for the upcoming games
Florent Hadergjonaj – 7 out of 10
It was a surprise to see him playing in the middle of the pitch but he did a good job. He made a couple of loose passes early on but otherwise held his own and made life difficult for United.
Collin Quaner – 5 out of 10
I’m one of Col’s biggest fans but he wasn’t able to provide the swashbuckling runs upfield we needed to take pressure off the defence. He seems to put in his best performances when he comes on as a sub, perhaps because he’s a different kind of challenge to typical wingers and tired defenders struggle to cope.
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Rajiv van La Parra – 5 out of 10
Like Big Col, VLP didn’t create much at all down the flanks and struggled to hold onto the ball when we had possession. He also looked pretty silly when he went down injured and made a miraculous recovery when the ball came near him.
Laurent Depoitre – 7 out of 10
Another thankless task for the big Belgian, chasing shadows and being left upfield on his own. Held the ball up well but had so little support he must have got pretty lonely. He also deserves credit for playing through the pain barrier after getting a stitch in his foot at halftime.
Substitutes
Aaron Mooy – 6 out of 10
The plan to rest him for this game only lasted half an hour, when Billing’s booking meant he needed to be subbed. It’s a shame we needed to call on him because he still looks jaded and out of touch.
Michael Hefele – 5 out of 10
He looked clumsy and out of his depth against top-class opposition. I still think he could do a job for Town when called upon but he’s not of the same level of quality as Schindler, Zanka, and Kongolo.
Tom Ince – 5 out of 10
I wasn’t going to give Ince a rating because I thought he came on too late to make an impact, but he actually came on in the 68th minute. So he had the time to produce something but failed to register a moment that I can remember.