Hull City 2 Man United 3: Player ratings as Rooney inspires comeback

Hull City

Alan McGregor Injured in a clash with Young but showed great agility to palm Welbeck’s header wide later in the first half. Could do little to prevent Smalling’s effort. Substituted at half-time. 6/10

Alex Bruce Out-jumped Evra to tee up Chester. Produced back-to-back crunching tackles to give Hull momentum. Struck the crossbar with another header from a corner in the second half. 7

James Chester Scored a dream goal against his former club. However, the centre-half’s afternoon soon turned into a nightmare as United hit back with two goals before he headed past his own goalkeeper Harper. 5

Curtis Davies Failed to thwart his man Smalling as the United centre-half put the visitors back in contention. Flashed a header wide in the 53rd minute when the defender should have put the Tigers into the lead. 6

Ahmed Elmohamady The former Sunderland man was a constant threat down the right wing and ensured Evra was pegged back. 6

Maynor Figueroa Struggled against Januzaj when the Belgian replaced Rafael. It resulted in Sagbo reverting to the left to help the defender in the second half. However, Figueroa’s missed tackle allowed Young to score in the 66th minute, resulting in Chester’s own goal. 4

David Meyler Persistence pays off! Kept the ball alive and stayed alert to stroke a loose ball home. Helped Figueroa defend against Valencia’s runs from right-back. Forced off at half-time due to injury. 8

Tom Huddlestone It was a classy performance by the former Spurs man. As always, Huddlestone was impressive in possession. Hit a ferocious goal-bound volley which was deflected wide by Evra. 7

Jake Livermore Was tenacious as ever as he endeavoured to protect the Hull back four. Couldn’t help the Tigers find a late equaliser. 6

Danny Graham An ever-willing runner but lacked the guile to cause United’s defence any real problems. Presented with a late chance to level but produced a tame header. 5

Yannick Sagbo Played a part in Meyler’s goal as he made the run which split United’s defence wide open. Powerful second-half effort drew a save from De Gea. 5

Substitutes

Steve Harper Replaced McGregor. Wasn’t called into action and could only wave Chester’s own goal into the Hull net. 5

Robert Koren Replaced Meyler. Didn’t have much affect on the clash. 5

George Boyd N/A

Manchester United

David De Gea Could do little about Hull’s opener but the Spaniard got a touch to Meyler’s strike. Caused panic in the United defence when he bizarrely decided to leave his line to clear a ball. Made a huge save to deny Chester a second. 6

Rafael da Silva After being part of a defence which allowed Hull to surge into a 2-0 lead, Rafael was substituted due to an injury midway through the first half. 5

Chris Smalling Great header to give United a foothold in the Boxing Day clash. Struggled against Davies at set-pieces. 5

Jonny Evans Shaky performance from the Northern Irishman. His partnership with Smalling needs time to be allowed to blossom. 5

Patrice Evra Poor defending to allow Bruce to tee up Chester from an early corner. He made amends with a timely block to deny Huddlestone, whose effort looked to be motoring past De Gea. 5

Antonio Valencia Asked to drop to right-back following Rafael’s injury. Received a yellow card for a desperate challenge on Sagba – meaning he’ll miss the Norwich clash. Sent off for a brainlessly kicking the ball away after conceding a free-kick. 4

Tom Cleverley A quiet performance from the England man. Was unable to back up his last away performance at Aston Villa. 5.

Darren Fletcher Starting his first game since a return from ulcerative colitis. Didn’t put a foot wrong but wasn’t overly influential in midfield. Replaced in the 61st minute. 6

Ashley Young Showed uncharacteristic bravery to go for a 50-50 with McGregor in the first half. Produced the cross which led to United’s winner. 6.

Wayne Rooney Brilliant free-kick which allowed Smalling to halve the deficit. Further dragged the Red Devils back into the side with a super strike. 8

Danny Welbeck Typically athletic performance. Made runs looking to create space for team-mates. 7

Substitutes

Adnan Januzaj Booked for a clumsy challenge on Elmohamady. 5

Javier Hernandez Only notable contribution was taking the ball off Welbeck’s toe only to be dispossessed. 5

Michael Carrick N/A