Louis van Gaal still backs Manchester United to topple Arsenal and win Premier League title

Manchester United vs Chelsea - player ratings

• 1/24 David De Gea: 7

  Was in fine form and made several superb saves to deny Terry in the first half and then Pedro and Azpilicueta in the second.

• 2/24 Matteo Darmian: 6

  Aside from one mistake in the build-up to Matic's chance in the second half, the full-back defended well and showed great understanding with Martial to attack Chelsea's defence down his flank.

• 3/24 Chris Smalling: 7

  Enjoyed a relatively quiet evening as he was never really tested by Hazard, although he received a booking for bringing down the Belgian in one instance. Combined well with Blind to force Chelsea to attack down the wings.

• 4/24 Daley Blind: 6

  Enjoyed a great game as he worked well with Smalling to protect De Gea while using his accuracy to push the ball forwards in attack.

• 5/24 Ashley Young: 7

  Playing at right-back, Young impressed - using his pace to give Azpilicueta problems while tracking back and defending when needed.

• 6/24 Morgan Schneiderlin: 6

  Dominated the play in midfield and was nearly rewarded when he saw his effort on goal go just wide. Despite getting a yellow card for his challenge on Willian, Van Gaal will be pleased with his work rate.

• 7/24 Bastian Schweinsteiger: 6

  Enjoyed a good outing after being brought back into the starting line-up, working well with Schneiderlin to contain the likes of Oscar.

• 8/24 Juan Mata: 7

  The Spaniard's pace and creativity caused Azpilicueta problems all evening and he should have scored early on but saw his effort hit the bar.

• 9/24 Ander Herrera: 6

  Was another United player who could have scored, but saw his close-range effort kept out by Courtois. Still, he worked hard in attack and defence.

• 10/24 Anthony Martial: 7

  The forward looked invigorated and determined and he constantly proved a menace for Ivanovic with his pace – seeing his effort hit the post. A superb reaction from the France international following some disappointing performances in recent months.

• 11/24 Wayne Rooney: 6

  After being dropped against Stoke, the United captain returned to the starting XI to show why he remains a key player for the club. He created several chances, carried out his defensive duties and showed leadership skills in a much-improved performance. Should have been dismissed for an ugly challenge on Oscar.

• 12/24 Cameron Borthwick-Jackson: 6

  Did well to carve out a late opportunity for Rooney while defending well after being brought on in the second half.

• 13/24 Thibaut Courtois: 7

  Was solid when called into action - making a sublime close-range save to deny Herrera in the second half - although he nearly committed a huge error when he cleared the ball straight to Mata in the first period.

• 14/24 Branislav Ivanovic: 4

  Endured a torrid time against Martial, as he struggled to deal with the pace of the Frenchman, which allowed United to create their best chances from the right flank.

• 15/24 Kurt Zouma: 7

  Defended well alongside Terry, using his pace and strength to make several key clearances and getting involved in Chelsea's attacks during set pieces.

• 16/24 John Terry: 7

  Had Chelsea's best chance to open the scoring with a superb header, which was saved by De Gea, while also enjoying a good showing at the back.

• 17/24 Cesar Azpilicueta: 5

  Struggled to stop Young and Mata from using the left flank to send crosses into the box time and time again. Later, had a superb chance to score but mis-timed his shot, allowing De Gea to make his save.

• 18/24 Nemanja Matic: 5

  Defended well and tried to contribute to Chelsea's play going forwards. However, he let his side down when he blazed Chelsea's best chance high when through on goal in the second half.

• 19/24 John Obi Mikel: 6

  Proved a good partner for Matic in front of Chelsea’s defence, although he received a yellow card for a foul on Martial. The pair could have controlled proceedings in midfield better, though.

• 20/24 Pedro: 6

  Used his pace and accuracy to create some good chances, including one that Matic should have converted, and also came close to scoring but was denied by De Gea. Struggled, though, to deal with Young and Mata's link-up play.

• 21/24 Oscar: 5

  Proved ineffective in creating clear goal-scoring for Chelsea, and was also guilty for giving away the ball several times. Not the best of performances from the Brazilian.

• 22/24 Willian: 5

  Was one of Chelsea's biggest threats going forwards, but he still had a limited impact as United defended in numbers against him. He did, however, disappoint with some poor free-kicks and was lucky to not give away a penalty for his handball in the area. Hauled off for Ramires with 20 minutes to go.

• 23/24 Eden Hazard: 5

  Started the game up front in the lone striker role, but failed to have any real impact. Kept dropping deep to try and collect the ball, but it left Chelsea with no focal point. Improved in the second half, setting up Pedro, but ultimately a disappointing showing from the Belgian.

• 24/24 Ramires: 6

  Added an extra shield to Chelsea's defence after coming on for Willian.