FA Cup player ratings: Manchester City v Manchester United

Hart – Made two tremendous saves at crucial times against Berbatov and Nani. The rollocking he was giving his team-mates in the closing minutes for not retaining possession demonstrated a real hunger for victory on his other home ground. 9

Zabaleta – Not surprisingly Pablo looked a little rusty at first and equally unsurprising was the way he grew into the game. Embodied the spirit of the day with a host of telling challenges. 8

Kompany – Deserving wearer of the captain’s armband and performed with suitable distinction. Never allowed Hernandez a chance. Brought the ball out of defence well in the second half. 8

Lescott – Could have been the headline maker had he taken chances from corners in each half. Settled for another sound defensive showing capped by a crucial late intervention to take the ball off Anderson. 8

Kolarov – One of the most pleasant surprises at Wembley was Kolarov’s relatively untroubled time defensively. Got forward well but his distribution could have been better from those advanced positions. 7

De Jong – The dominant defensive midfielder in the game. Patrolled his area in a disciplined fashion giving Yaya and Barry the license to move further upfield. 8

Barry – Looked a lot happier alongside de Jong and played an intelligent game. Made some useful interventions and also pushed forward at the right times – having our momentum changing first chance as a result. 7

Y Toure – Amongst the debate over Yaya’s qualities, his composed finishing is often overlooked. Maybe not after this. After a slow start Yaya became a key figure who United’s midfield couldn’t handle. Nearly added to his goal late on. 9

A Johnson (Wright-Phillips 78 mins) – Spent more time tracking Evra than the other way round. Threatened on occasions without ever looking at his best. 7

Silva (Vieira 86 mins) – Another who came into the game once we started to play higher up the field. His movement and passing were key to wrestling the initiative from United. 8

Balotelli – Aside from a wayward shot in extra-time, this was a disciplined performance from Mario which meant we didn’t miss Tevez as much as had been feared. The lay-offs were crisp and the runs intelligent. 8

Subs:

Wright-Phillips – Took the game to Evra when he could and tracked back excellently. Justified his appearance and it’s always good to see him in a derby anyway. 7

Vieira – Brought on to close the game out. Not sure he made much of an impact but we came through. 6

Man of the match: Yaya Toure.

FA Cup preview: Manchester City v Manchester United
FA Cup verdict: Manchester City 1 Manchester United 0

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