England

Player Ratings: Portsmouth 1-4 Manchester United

Rooney hat-trick ruins Grant's first match in dugout.

Nov 28, 2009 12:01:35 PM

EPL: Avram Grant, Portsmouth v Manchester United (Getty Images)

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EPL: Avram Grant, Portsmouth v Manchester United (Getty Images)

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PORTSMOUTH

Asmir Begovic - 6 - Perhaps unfortunate to concede four goals on his return from loan at Ipswich.

Tal Ben-Haim - 5 - Supplemented Kaboul and Wilson's aerial dominance from his position out wide. Never got forward, but that wasn't in his remit today.

Younes Kaboul - 6 - Jumped highest for every header and lunged in to make a number of blocks. Seems a different figure from the player who flopped at Tottenham.

Marc Wilson - 4 - Troubled by Valencia's pace and couldn't cope with Rooney's ability.

Hermann Hreidarsson - 4 - Proved a nuisance when he pushed up for corner and free kicks, but was a liability when asked to defend as his old legs belied his natural ability.

Hassen Yebda - 5 - Hustled and harried but added little end product to the Pompey push.

Kevin Prince Boateng - 7 - Exorcised last week's demons with his penalty and was happy to mix it with the visitors' midfield. Showed his commitment with stand-up battle with Fletcher in the first half. Booked.

Michael Brown - 5 - The game's pantomine villain felled Rooney for the penalty and angered the United team with his presence. Still covers the blades of grass past his 30th birthday.

Jamie O'Hara - 6 - Hit a decent supply of dead balls and added some quality when in possession.

Frederic Piquionne - 4 - Mindless foul on Giggs for the third goal proved critical. Had his shirt tugged for his own side's penalty. Little attacking threat otherwise. Subbed for Kanu.

Aruna Dindane - 3 - Gets in great positions but has a special ability to waste them all. Missed at least three sitters in the first half. If he could shoot, Pompey wouldn't need to worry about relegation. Booked early on and taken off for Smith.

Substitutes

John Utaka - 5 - Only noteworthy moment was his booking.

Tommy Smith - n/a

Nwankwo Kanu - 5 - Didn't improve on Piquionne's poor display.

MANCHESTER UNITED

Tomasz Kuszczak - 8 - Repelled the Portsmouth attacks and should have claimed a clean sheet. As clueless as every one else when the penalty was awarded against United.

Gary Neville - 6 - Dovetailed with Valencia to good effect and was always available for the pass. Picked up a silly booking for kicking the ball away.

Wes Brown - 5 - Not on the same wavelength as Vidic yet. Indecision led to a number of chances for the home side before the game settled in the second half.

Nemanja Vidic - 5 - Was probably the culprit for the penalty after tugging Piquionne's shirt. Still scratching for the form that made him the best defender in the league, but made a great block on Dindane in the 69th minute. Booked for a bad foul.

Patrice Evra - 7 - Excellent as always. Bombed on in attack, but didn't forget his defensive duties.

Darren Fletcher - 7 - Buzzed around the pitch and set the platform for the United victory.

Michael Carrick - 5 - Wasn't at his best. Caught in possession a number of times and failed to make his mark against such limited opposition.

Paul Scholes - 6 - Used his experience to keep his team ticking over as he pulled the strings from deep. Went in to Dean's notebook.

Ryan Giggs - 9 - Free-kick saw him strike his 100th United league goal. Caused havoc in the gap between the hosts' defense and midfield. His harrying led to the second penalty and a deft pass set Rooney up for his only goal in open play.

Antonio Valencia - 8 - Electric pace was too hot to handle. His dart from his own half led to the first penalty and Hreidarsson stood no chance against him. Is turning the corner with successive quality performances.

Wayne Rooney - 9 - Give him a job and he'll do it. The hat trick hero carried out the lone striker role to perfection. Finished all his chances superbly and didn't give the Pompey center-backs a moment's rest.

Substitute

Anderson - 6 - Slotted in nicely when brought on as he added some vibrancy to the fold.

Matt Monaghan, Goal.com

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