Manchester United strengthened their hopes of a top-four finish in the Premier League on Sunday with a comfortable 3-0 win at home to Tottenham Hotspur.

All of United's goals came during a dominant first-half display as Marouane Fellaini, Michael Carrick and Wayne Rooney all found the net.

The result has kept Louis van Gaal's side in fourth place in the table, while Spurs have slipped down to seventh position.

Here, Sports Mole rates the individual performances of those involved on a vital afternoon in the race for Champions League qualification.

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MAN UTD

Goal

David de Gea: The Spaniard had next to nothing to do between the sticks as Spurs rarely troubled the United defence. His biggest moment came towards the end of the 90 minutes when he made a good save to deny Kane. (7/10)

Defence

Antonio Valencia: A typical display from Valencia at right-back as he bombed up and down the flank with admirable stamina. (7/10)

Phil Jones: Despite one or two shaky moments at the back, Jones was a solid presence in defence for the hosts. (7/10)

Chris Smalling: Looked more assured than Jones and often showed adventure by getting involved in the home team's attacks at the other end of the pitch. (8/10)

Daley Blind: Another fine showing at left-back for the Dutchman, who made himself useful in attack and gave no quarter in defence. (8/10)

Midfield

Michael Carrick: Was excellent throughout. Kept his side ticking over in midfield with little fuss and was rewarded with a well-taken goal to make it 2-0. (8/10)

Juan Mata: Made life difficult for the Spurs defence with his clever passing and intelligent movement. This performance could well put him in Louis van Gaal's mind for United's trip to Anfield. (7/10)

Ander Herrera: Worked hard all afternoon. Did not always see a great deal of the ball, but his hustling was key to keeping Tottenham under the thumb. (7/10)

Ashley Young: Not one of the winger's more effective displays, though his pace out wide caused the visitors plenty of problems. (6/10)

Attack

Marouane Fellaini: Scored the home side's opening goal early on before dominating Tottenham with his power and physicality up front. Also proved highly valuable in midfield as he kept the visitors at arm's length. (9/10)

Wayne Rooney: While he was not always at the centre of what United were trying to do, Rooney grew more into the game as it went on. (7/10)

Substitutes

Andreas Pereira: Coming off the bench for his Premier League debut with 15 minutes left, the 19-year-old struggled to get involved. (6/10)

Radamel Falcao: Had less than 10 minutes to make an impact and found it hard to do so as the hosts sat back during the final stages. (6/10)

Rafael: Helped his side keep a clean sheet when he entered the action late on as Spurs were pressing for a consolation. (6/10)

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TOTTENHAM

Goal

Hugo Lloris: Endured a difficult afternoon at Old Trafford as he was afforded little protection by his defence. (6/10)

Defence

Kyle Walker: Tried to get forward in order to help Spurs up front, but he was forced back for most of the game and struggled to contain the hosts. (6/10)

Eric Dier: A disappointing performance from the youngster, who looked out of his depth trying to thwart a rampant United. (5/10)

Jan Vertonghen: Needed to show more leadership at the back, particularly in the first half. Instead he was exposed time and again. (5/10)

Danny Rose: Showed no fear in getting stuck in, but he was caught out far too often when he was forced back. (6/10)

Midfield

Nabil Bentaleb: Was a non-existent presence for most of the game when he should have been making more of an effort to protect his back four. (5/10)

Ryan Mason: One of the few Spurs players who tried to take the game by the scruff of the neck. However, he only lasted an hour before Mauricio Pochettino opted for a more attacking approach. (6/10)

Andros Townsend: Was given a torrid time down the right flank. Ended up being sacrificed with just 30 minutes played as Pochettino shook things up tactically. (5/10)

Christian Eriksen: Had virtually no say on the game during the opening half, though he came out of his shell a bit more after the break. That said, the Dane flopped hard. (5/10)

Nacer Chadli: Did very little of note before he was brought off with 10 minutes remaining. His lack of dynamism in midfield hurt Spurs. (5/10)

Attack

Harry Kane: Had very little service to work with as Tottenham rarely ventured into United territory. Could have found the net late on, but his effort was well saved by De Gea. (5/10)

Substitutes

Moussa Dembele: Came off the bench with just 30 minutes played, but he was as guilty as the rest of his teammates in terms of disappearing. (5/10)

Erik Lamela: Should have offered Tottenham a bit more urgency in the final third during the final half an hour, only to be shut out with ease by the home side's defence. (5/10)

Emmanuel Adebayor: The forgotten man made a disappointing cameo with just over 10 minutes remaining. (5/10)