Average Manchester United saved by Marouane Fellaini

Louis van Gaal’s team have yet to win away in the league, a record that at least the beleaguered David Moyes could point to with some pride last season. Here, though they scored two very fine goals, they were undone with disconcerting ease on the break and struggled for fluency throughout. A point at the Hawthorns, on balance, is not a poor result, but it is not the stuff of which pushes for UEFA Champions League places are made — particularly with such stern challenges immediately ahead.

Player Ratings (1-10; 10=best. Players introduced after 70 minutes get no rating):

(GK) David De Gea, 6 — De Gea was not at fault for either West Bromwich Albion goal. The opener from Stephane Sessegnon was past him almost before he saw it, a strike too sublime for even his remarkable reflexes. Also, when Saido Berahino advanced upon his goal in the second half, he did so unencumbered by any challenges from the Manchester United defence other than a futile howl from Rafael, since they had been caught flat-footed by Chris Brunt’s through ball. De Gea stepped forward smartly to intercept a pass here or there, but was otherwise blameless for the frustrating spectacle.

(DF) Luke Shaw, 5 — Shaw looked somewhat exposed throughout. This was possibly because Angel Di Maria abandoned his defensive post at most available opportunities, which is unusual for the Argentina playmaker, but also because Shaw showed a worrying tendency to concede possession high up the pitch in dangerous areas, and a failure — not of diligence, but of precision — to win it back. The effort was there, but the impact, conspicuously, was not.

(DF) Marcos Rojo, 7 — Poor Rojo. He will figure most prominently in the highlight film for both West Bromwich Albion goals, but was the least to blame of the back four for either. He was left helpless when Sessegnon strode forward for his early strike, and closest to Berahino when he surged through. Despite his reputation for being somewhat rash in the tackle — he did, after all, earn a yellow late on — he was positionally sound for most of the game, and dealt well with West Bromwich’s nimble strike force, dispossessing them calmly on a handful of occasions. He was one of few to emerge with credit this evening.

Marcos Rojo stood out as respectable among Manchester United’s overwhelmed defence.

(DF) Phil Jones, 5 — Jones struggled with his distribution and positioning, generally looking out of sorts. He was slow to retreat, and slow to advance; he is a player whom Manchester United have missed, but this is not the version of Phil Jones that his teammates were expecting to see. Perhaps his sluggishness was due to his lack of game time. Whatever the reason, he looked off the pace throughout, and a fixture against so canny an attack was always going to be a tough proposition for him. So, unfortunately, it proved.

(DF) Rafael, 6 — Rafael looked extremely purposeful at times, and save one or two pieces of loose passing generally used the ball fairly well. He also pressed forward well in Manchester United’s one true period of dominance, at the start of the second half, and combined very well with Adnan Januzaj. At this point, he was unlucky not to end up with an assist, and might have done if Robin van Persie had been slightly more attentive in the six-yard box. Yet ultimately he was affected by the same malaise as his teammates; and, if not poor, he was in the end sadly average.

(MF) Ander Herrera, 5 — This was a below-par outing from Herrera, his worst in a Manchester United shirt, and his only consolation is that it was not for want of trying. Throughout the first half, after which he was withdrawn, he resembled a burglar jimmying every lock, but who had left his best tools at home. Nothing seemed to work for him. He lost possession while without defensive cover, turning relieved to see that the resulting through ball had been over-hit. He played passes with insufficient weight, and never settled into a comfortable rhythm. It was simply an off night, and when he fails to impose a tempo, so does the team.

(MF) Angel Di Maria, 7 — Di Maria’s delivery from wide areas, whether that be open play or set pieces, was again his team’s most consistently dangerous outlet. The concern at his withdrawal for Ashley Young late in the second half was palpable; there was notable worry when he took an ice pack to his leg.

He was not as defensively attentive as he has been in recent weeks, and there was a certain tentativeness just after the half-hour mark where, fresh from a very good attempt on goal, he then proceeded to square when he probably should have shot. Nevertheless, he remained a constant and compelling source of pace and invention, and the team was much the poorer for his removal.

(MF) Daley Blind, 6 — A delightful curled finish aside, Blind had trouble taking command of proceedings. He is a diffident personality, a foil for a more rugged partner, and this match seemed to pass him by at times. His distribution was reasonable even if somewhat unadventurous, and the suspicion is that he needs to be alongside someone somewhat nastier for him and the team truly to prosper. To end on a positive note, though, his goal showed impressive composure; with only a few minutes left, he placed his shot into the bottom corner when many would have panicked.

(MF) Juan Mata, 5 — Mata was disappointing; like Shinji Kagawa in his final few months at the club, he looked as if he had lost his mojo. Mata presumably has far more goodwill with Van Gaal than Kagawa did — he has scored far more goals than the Japanese, for one — but his promptings in the final third were largely ineffectual, and when he was removed for Falcao, it did not look a moment too soon. Like Kagawa, he is dependent on smart movement around him and tough defensive cover, and in the absence of both he looked marooned.

(FW) Robin van Persie, 6 — Van Persie began proceedings looking as lively as he has all season, and there was a welcome sharpness to the way he chased down clearances; he even almost engineered a goal in the first half, and thrashed a fine strike against an upright in the second. Yet in between those moments of alertness there were again the long periods of inactivity that have characterised much of his past few months, and he again struggled for chemistry with his strike partner, who in this case was Adnan Januzaj. He was not abject, but he was well below his best.

Robin van Persie was below his best once against for Manchester United, but substitute Marouane Fellaini managed to bag a sumptuous strike.

(FW) Adnan Januzaj, 5 — This game was identified as a moment when the Belgian playmaker would or could step up, in the manner that he had away to Sunderland in the Premier League last season. Yet no such show was forthcoming. There was some toil, but apart from one Iniesta-like through pass to Rafael in the second half, there was no creativity worthy of his reputation. He often sped forward, trying with a conspicuous desperation to make something happen, yet his defenders treated him with respect, forcing him wide and giving him double coverage. At times the ball was caught underneath his feet in his apparent frustration to break free of their coverage.

Januzaj is not a striker, as he had apparently been deployed, but neither is he a winger, and accordingly he did not look comfortable in either guise. This was not his night, and the carefree talent of early last season currently looks very far away.

Substitutes:

(FW) Falcao, NR — The Colombia striker came on late in the game and had little time or possession to make an impression. Given the indifferent form of Robin van Persie, he may be thinking that he deserves more playing time.

(MF) Marouane Fellaini, 7 — Where did this come from? Several onlookers, this writer included, were exceptionally sceptical at his introduction for Ander Herrera at halftime, yet almost immediately he proved everyone wrong. In the shadow of George Best day, he produced a finish so elegant and devastating that it was a pretty good tribute to the late great. After that, his disciplined physicality was the foundation for a decent second-half spell for Manchester United, one on which they sadly failed to capitalise.

(MF) Ashley Young, NR — Had too little of the ball to make a decisive impact, but given the goal from Fellaini — a similarly maligned figure at Old Trafford in recent months — no one was betting against him.