Man United vs. Athletic Bilbao: Player Ratings from Red Devils' 3-2 Europa Loss

No one knows how they did it, but Athletic Bilbao absolutely bossed around Manchester United in its own backyard.

Fresh off their smashing 3-1 win at White Hart Lane last weekend, and settling nicely into the second-place spot in the league table, it was all but assumed the Red Devils would take a huge leap forward tonight in earning another piece of silverware for the Old Trafford mantle.

But Athletic Bilbao had other plans.

Wayne Rooney opened the scoring for Manchester United in the 22nd minute with a case of being in the right place at the right time. Ryan Giggs fed a beautiful ball to Javier Hernandez, whose shot was deflected. But Rooney recovered the shot and snuck it home easily.

But minutes before halftime, Phil Jones let opposing forward Fernando Llorente get past him, net a goal and equalize at 1-1.

Athletic Bilbao then took over, scoring just minutes into the second half and raising the scoreline to 2-1. They dominated the Red Devils' midfield for the remainder of the match, scoring another, making it 3-1. 

If not for Wayne Rooney's penalty-kick conversion right before the whistle blew, Manchester United would be in a heap of trouble as they prepared for their trip to Spain next week. As it stands, the first leg loss of 3-2 was embarrassing, but manageable.

The team looked desperately bad overall, but how did the individuals grade out? Check out my player ratings and let me know if you agree.

David De Gea: 6.5

Not at fault for the first two goals scored against him, as they were the result of poor defending and horrendous marking. Third one, he could have rushed the forward and forced a shot wide. Made several athletic saves throughout the night, with some of the shots just barely going off the finger tips of his 6'4" frame. The defeat won't do well for the 21-year-old's confidence going forward.

Chris Smalling: 7.5

The young defender was certainly tested by Athletic Bilbao's best player on the pitch for the night, Fernando Llorente. Knocked away several good chances by the opponents throughout the night, and for the most part, held his own. Nasty head injury forced him out in the 55th minute.

Phil Jones: 6.0

Not a good first half. Allowed Llorente to wander past him and equalize right before halftime. Should have been an easy cleanup for the veteran defender.

Jonathan Evans: 7.0

Physical play, textbook tackling and great clearances were the order of the day from the defender. Not a lot more you could ask for from Evans. The centre back was the one bright spot on Manchester United's back line.

Rafael: 6.0

Invisible, poor handling of the ball on the few times he was given possession.

Patrice Evra: 6.0

Beaten several times and lost his temper in the last 15 minutes. A 30-year-old veteran should play and react better.

Ashley Young: 6.5

Great first half, as he was energetic and a threat during counters, but disappeared after halftime. Where was the former Aston Villa man?

Park Ji-Sung: 6.5

Contributed to several good attacks going forward in the first half, but South Korea's best player was invisible until manager Sir Alex Ferguson pulled him in favor of Oliveira Anderson in the 61st minute.

Ryan Giggs: 7.5

Fed the ball to the midfield well and provided Manchester United with its only composed player in the midfield.

Michael Carrick: 6.5

Contributed to several good attacks going forward in the first half, but South Korea's best player was invisible until manager Sir Alex Ferguson pulled him in favor of Oliveira Anderson in the 61st minute.

Oliveira Anderson: 6.0

Rough 30 minutes for the young, rarely used midfielder. Clunky, poor passes, seemed not able to keep pace even for the little time he played.

Nani: 6.0

Nothing of note, as the veteran was just as invisible and inconsequential as in last weekend's match at Tottenham.

Javier Hernandez: 7.0

Great ability in the first half to string together counters, especially in the 22nd minute when his shot was deflected, but Rooney was able to clean up.

Wayne Rooney: 7.5

Harassed Athletic Bilbao goalkeeper Gorka Iraizoz with the kind of regularity we've come to expect from the English international, especially in the first half. Went down drastically in quality as the night went on. In the waning minutes, was firing off weak, inaccurate passes, but converted an easy penalty in extra time.