Manchester United player ratings against Villarreal in the Europa League final were tough to dish out, as a tense final in Gdansk played out and they lost 11-10 on penalty kicks.
[ VIDEO: Premier League highlights ]
After Gerard Moreno put Villarreal ahead in the first half, Edinson Cavani equalized in the second half and a tense 120 minutes led to penalty kicks. 21 out of 22 were scored, as Villarreal goalkeeper Geronimo Rulli scored his spot kick then saved David de Gea’s.
[ WATCH: Penalty kicks in full ]
Unai Emery has now won the Europa League a record fourth time as Villarreal have reached the UEFA Champions League for next season. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s wait for a trophy goes on, and United will now go five years without winning a trophy.
[ MORE: Full highlights, analysis of PL season ]
Below is a look at the Manchester United player ratings out of 10, with analysis on how each player performed.
Manchester United player ratings
David de Gea: 6 - Didn’t really have a lot to do before the penalty kicks. Clawed away one dangerous cross in the second half. Didn’t get near the Villarreal penalties and then had his saved.
Aaron Wan-Bissaka: 6 - Didn’t get forward much and made a few trademark spider tackles.
Victor Lindelof: 5 - Moreno had the beating of him and switched off for Villarreal’s opener.
Eric Bailly: 6 - Did his best to hold the back line together. Subbed out through injury.
Luke Shaw: 5 - Just as guilty as Lindelof on the opening goal. Allowed Moreno to get across him. Shanked a shot with his right foot when free in the box. Occasional threat going forward. Lucky to score his penalty.
IT HAD TO BE GERARD MORENO 💥
— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) May 26, 2021
That ball though 💫 pic.twitter.com/KTLQoOLokF
Scott McTominay: 8 - Set the tempo for the second half. Won tackles. Made things happen. Won the corner for Cavani’s goal. Dug deep defensively too. United’s man of the match.
Paul Pogba: 5 - Couldn’t get a grip on the game. Forced to drop deeper and didn’t look comfortable in a deeper than usual central midfield role.
Mason Greenwood: 6 - Sharp throughout. Tried to make things happen with long diagonal balls and a few surging runs. Surprisingly subbed out.
Bruno Fernandes: 6 - Not at his fluid best and hardly had a kick in the first half. Growing influence on the game, but then faded again. Villarreal did a job on him.
Marcus Rashford: 5 - Poor first half, like most United players. Missed a big chance in second half, but it was likely offside in the build up. His speculative shot led to Cavani’s goal. His first touch was off all night.
Edinson Cavani: 7 - Worked so hard to track back time and again, even if he didn’t time his tackles well. Typical predator in the box for the equalizer too. His movement is so good.
🏹 El Matador doing what he does best!
— Joe Prince-Wright (@JPW_NBCSports) May 26, 2021
Edinson Cavani has done this a fair few times over the years. Manchester United level against Villarreal in the Europa League final. 1-1. #MUFC #UEL #UELFinal
🎥 @UCLonCBSSports pic.twitter.com/xohMY1ZzI0
Substitution
Fred (100' on for Greenwood): 5 - United lost control of midfield after he came on. Too defensive of a switch.
Axel Tuanzebe (115' on for Bailly): N/A
Daniel James (115' on for Pogba): N/A
Juan Mata (123' on for McTominay): N/A
Alex Telles (123' on for Wan-Bissaka): N/A