Dalot's stunning strike secures hard-fought win: Sheffield Utd 1-2 Man Utd player ratings

Manchester United had to work hard for their 2-1 victory over Sheffield United on Saturday evening.

The game started slowly, with Scott McTominay skillfully volleying home the first goal for the Red Devils. However, he quickly went from hero to zero, conceding a penalty that allowed Oli McBurnie to equalize.

Though Man Utd controlled the majority of the second half, it took a spectacular long-range shot from Diogo Dalot for them to secure their win.

Sheffield United were the first to take initiative, with McBurnie firing a low shot into the hands of Andre Onana in the early minutes at Bramall Lane.

In the opening stages, Sheffield United remained dominant, causing Man Utd to be confined to infrequent counterattacks that did not challenge Wes Foderingham. In contrast, Onana had to stay alert to deflect a long-range effort from Cameron Archer.

Totally against the flow of the game, Erik ten Hag’s team snatched a lead. McTominay converted a poor pass from Bruno Fernandes into a messy volley that found its way into the goal, giving Man Utd an undeserved advantage at that moment.

Just three minutes later, McTominay handed Sheffield United a chance to level the score when he blocked a cross into the box with his arm. McBurnie confidently dispatched the penalty, claiming his first Premier League goal in over three years.

Marcus Rashford played a ball across the six-yard box, and Rasmus Hojlund narrowly missed tapping home a second goal for Man Utd. Afterwards, Fernandes barely missed a free-kick, with the ball grazing the top of Foderingham's crossbar.

In the final moments of the first half, Foderingham brilliantly denied Hojlund as United finished the half strongly.

Onana made the first significant save of the second half when he tipped over a fierce strike from Oliver Norwood. Down the other end, Rashford fired wide after some fine work from Antony.

A phenomenal long-range strike from Sofyan Amrabat hit the post, while Man Utd found it increasingly frustrating to break down the home side, who were content to sit back and guard their point.

It took an extraordinary shot from Dalot in the 77th minute to seal the victory for the visitors. Alejandro Garnacho also had an attempt from distance that flew just wide, leaving Man Utd with two goals.

GK: Wes Foderingham - 6/10 - Demonstrated good performances, especially towards the end of the first half, but may have let Dalot's goal slip by.

RB: Jayden Bogle - 6/10 - Struggled to keep up with Rashford in the first half, but improved after the break.

CB: Auston Trusty - 6/10 - Was disciplined but handled Man Utd's energetic attack well, especially dealing with Hojlund.

CB: Jack Robinson - 6/10 - Made some aggressive tackles to counter Man Utd's threat. Though he didn’t always win his battles, his efforts were commendable.

LB: Luke Thomas - 5/10 - Didn't perform confidently in defence and struggled with Antony.

RM: James McAtee - 6/10 - Showed great skill attacking, but fell short on his defensive duties. Bogle could have used his support.

CM: Vinicius Souza - 7/10 - Did well to support his defence and made it difficult for Man Utd to counter him.

CM: Oliver Norwood - 6/10 - Was productive but made some costly fouls.

LM: Gustavo Hamer - 6/10 - Started brightly but struggled to impact the game once Man Utd started to dictate play.

ST: Oli McBurnie - 7/10 - Pressured Man Utd's defenders with his physical presence and tireless spirit. Executed a flawless penalty before exiting due to injury.

ST: Cameron Archer - 6/10 - Performed well in the first half partnering with McBurnie, but dwindled after his partner got injured.

SUB: Rhian Brewster (51' for McBurnie) - 6/10

SUB: Ben Osborn (78' for McAtee) - N/A

SUB: Benie Traore (84' for Hamer) - N/A

Unused substitutes: Jordan Amissah (GK), Femi Seriki, Ryan One, John Fleck, Anis Ben Slimane, Jili Buyabu

Paul Heckingbottom - 7/10 - Showed courage keeping the same midfield who struggled against Newcastle in the last game. The format change hugely helped his side and they were unlucky not to earn more from the match.

GK: Andre Onana - 6/10 - Was busier than he expected but will be relieved to make it through the game without attracting unwanted attention. Could do nothing about the penalty.

RB: Diogo Dalot - 7/10 - A quiet first half but made the difference with a glorious goal to seal all three points.

CB: Harry Maguire - 7/10 - Another solid defensive performance from Maguire, who hoovered up plenty of loose balls. Seemed to pop up all over the pitch as well.

CB: Jonny Evans - 6/10 - Spent plenty of time in midfield in a fascinating hybrid role. Showed real tactical discipline to do the job.

LB: Victor Lindelof - 5/10 - Looked uncomfortable at left-back, but that's partly because he's not a left-back. Ironically, it was that inability to play with his left foot that actually led to the winning goal.

DM: Scott McTominay - 6/10 - Did very well with his goal but immediately cancelled that out by conceding a penalty.

DM: Sofyan Amrabat - 6/10 - A slow start to the game which saw Amrabat struggle to keep up with the pace, although McTominay's runs forward often left him isolated.

RM: Antony - 6/10 - Had some really lively moments but drifted in and out of the game too often.

AM: Bruno Fernandes - 6/10 - Somehow got the assist for McTominay's opener and hit the bar with a free-kick, and yet this still didn't feel like a strong game from Fernandes. Some poor passing limited his team in the final third.

LM: Marcus Rashford - 5/10 - Got the odd glimpse of goal when Bogle fell asleep. Seemed determine to dribble himself into danger.

ST: Rasmus Hojlund - 6/10 - Really worked hard and could have easily had his first Premier League goal, had it not been for Foderingham.

SUB: Anthony Martial (63' for Hojlund) - 6/10

SUB: Christian Eriksen (63' for McTominay) - 6/10

SUB: Alejandro Garnacho (63' for Antony) - 6/10

SUB: Raphael Varane (84' for Evans) - N/A

SUB: Mason Mount (87' for Rashford) - N/A

Subs not used: Altay Bayindir (GK), Hannibal Mejbri, Donny van de Beek, Facundo Pellistri

Erik ten Hag - 5/10 - It didn't feel like tactics were behind Man Utd's comeback here. Ten Hag seems to have lost his identity and is reliant on individual moments of brilliance.