Manchester United vs Rochdale player ratings: Fred and Phil Jones fail to impress in EFL Cup scare
Solskjaer's side need spot-kicks to see off third-tier neighbours
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Manchester United progress to the fourth round of this year’s EFL Cup, but only after having their many problems exposed by third-tier Rochdale.
It was a night that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will quickly want to forget, but it only raised more questions about the current state of this side.
This was uninspiring fare from United, even though Mason Greenwood’s breakthrough briefly threatened to save Solskjaer from a discreditable draw for the second time in the space of a week.
Greenwood performed similar heroics against Astana last Thursday, but Rochdale had a teenage dream of their own: Luke Matheson. A year Greenwood’s junior, the full-back volleyed in a shock equaliser.
It seemed as if United would be made to pay for too many poor, speculative efforts from range. Solskjaer’s side are still failing to create clear-cut opportunities against organised defences.
But at least the penalty woes of a few weeks ago are behind them. Their spot-kicks in the shoot-out were faultless, in fact, with Daniel James scoring the decisive kick to spare his manager's blushes.
Click through the gallery below to see how we rated United's players...
Do you agree with our ratings? Let us know in the comments.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments