(Manchester United News)
Manchester United midfielder Marouane Fellaini was a stand-out performer as the Reds defeated rivals Manchester City 4-2 at Old Trafford on Sunday.
The Belgian faced a tough task up against Yaya Toure, but imposed himself on the game superbly, in a display which later saw him voted Man of the Match by fans on Twitter.
Fellaini recorded a narrow victory in the post-match poll, receiving 42 per cent of the vote, while Juan Mata and Ander Herrera, the other candidates selected by ex-Red Mickey Thomas, made up the shortlist with 32 per cent and 26 per cent respectively.
With three midfielders in the running for the award it was left to a fourth, Ashley Young, to heap praise upon Fellaini after the game.
"Felli has been brilliant," Young told MUTV. "Everyone will say the same. Since he’s come into the team, he’s been fantastic. I’ve said before that very few people can handle him. On his day, he’s unplayable. I don’t think Yaya Toure wanted to be tracking back, he wanted to be at the other end of the pitch but he had that job to do on Felli.
"When Felli is in the box and you can find him, you’ve definitely got a chance of scoring. I saw him at the back post and hoped he’d get on the end of it and score and, thankfully, he managed to do that."
Chris Smalling, who also got on the scoresheet late on, says Fellaini's impact in the middle of the park makes things easier for his team-mates.
"Felli’s been a handful for every team, and there hasn’t really been an answer to him," he added. "He needs two players to mark him so he frees up a lot of space. He’s been terrific."
Louis van Gaal also lauded Fellaini's contribution, which earned him a standing ovation from the United faithful when he was replaced by Radamel Falcao in the closing stages.
"The fans see that he is very important for the team," he told reporters. "He scores goals and lifts the pressure when we need it. He always plays the ball to a red shirt – that is also very important. I am very happy for him because when you see how the fans are responding to the substitutions of Mata, Fellaini and Phil Jones, the standing ovations are fantastic for the players."
