Stoke 0 - 2 Man Utd: Player Ratings

Ben Foster
A very quiet day for Foster, despite pre-match threats of aerial bombardment from the home team. The laundry ladies probably won't even bother washing his shirt.

John O’Shea
A goal for O’Shea – a clever flick-on header from Ryan Giggs’ free-kick – on his 350th appearance for the Reds. Was otherwise solid, albeit rarely tested.

Nemanja Vidic
Dealt superbly with Stoke’s long balls into the box. The big Serbian always rose highest to head them clear and saw off the threat from first Dave Kitson and then James Beattie.

Rio Ferdinand
No heart-fluttering moments this week from Rio. He was back to his old self – cool, composed and always in control.

Patrice Evra
Little to do defensively as all Stoke’s attacks were concentrated down the middle (and in the air). Instead, his overlapping runs down the left stretched the home side.

Antonio Valencia
Stoke’s narrow pitch meant the Ecuadorian didn’t get too many chances to run at defenders. Missed a golden opportunity early on to give United the lead.

Paul Scholes
A terrific performance in the centre of the park. Played a patient passing game and, as always, made his football look simple.

Darren Fletcher
No doubt picked for his ability to battle in midfield, but the Scot barely came up against a physical challenge. Not a blockbusting performance, but it didn’t need to be. Played a superb defence-splitting pass into Giggs in the build-up to the first goal.

Nani
Not too much came off for the Portuguese winger at the Britannia but, to his credit, Nani kept looking for the ball. Too often the final pass was mishit, though.

Dimitar Berbatov
Scored United’s first from close range but was otherwise fairly quiet. Showed some good touches on the ball but found it difficult to unpick the crowded Stoke defence.

Wayne Rooney
A slightly frustrating day for the English forward, although he started brightly with an early acrobatic effort that just flew over. Often forced to drop deep to come looking for the ball.

SUBSTITUTES

Ryan Giggs (for Nani, 57)
Immediate impact from the Welshman. Within five minutes he rolled the ball across the box for Berbatov to open the scoring and later turned provider for O'Shea.

Michael Carrick (for Scholes, 81)
Not on long enough to make an impact.

Michael Owen (for Rooney, 81)
Like Carrick, had little time to change the game.