AVFC player ratings: Loss at Manchester United

It wasn't a shocking result that Aston Villa lost to Manchester United or that Wayne Rooney scored an incredible goal against Villa, but some of the performances of AVFC players were a bit surprising.

Based on a scale of 1-10 -- with 1 being the worst and 10 being the best -- here are match ratings, along with stats and analysis of the Aston Villa players from Saturday's game at Old Trafford:

GK: Brad Guzan, Rating: 5

Key Stat: Four saves.

Not a great day for the Villa goalkeeper, but not a terrible one either. Had some good distribution early to set up counter attacks that his forwards didn't capitalize on and made a fine save from a long-range strike by Marcos Rojo. But he didn't make the big save on Ander Herrera's opener, a strike that was neither hit with great pace nor in the corner. Nothing he could've done on the final two United goals though.

RB: Alan Hutton, Rating: 4

Key Stat: Allowed eight crosses on his side in just 45 minutes.

Poor showing from Hutton as he basically allowed Ashley Young to cross the ball into the box at will and couldn't keep up with Daley Blind's overlapping runs. His tough outing was only made worse when he suffered an injury late in the first half, tried to carry on, then saw United's first goal result from another move down Villa's right. Subbed off at half.

CB: Jores Okore, Rating: 6

Key Stat: Six interceptions.

A decent performance from Okore, who continues to show potential while still making some mistakes. Struggled when Marouane Fellaini or Wayne Rooney would make runs off his shoulder, but his reading of the game was solid and he made a few key interceptions and had a couple nice passes to set up Villa counters. Also spurned a good chance with a header.

CB: Ciaran Clark, Rating: 6

Key Stat: Eight clearances.

Another solid showing from Clark, who may very well be Villa's player of the season. Made a few key blocks during the early Manchester United onslaught on the Villa goal, but was also involved in an early incident that on another day could've seen him concede a penalty and be sent off. Unlucky to see his team give up three goals.

LB: Matthew Lowton, Rating: 5

Key Stat: 61 percent passing.

It's tough to be too critical of a player who hasn't played much this season and is being played out of position. Lowton wasn't great on Saturday, but he wasn't as bad as he was against Swansea a few weeks ago. After completing two forward passes in 60 minutes at left back, he played slightly better when switched to right back, but still not good enough to warrant a selection.

CM: Carlos Sanchez, Rating: 5

Key Stat: 100 percent passing -- in the first half.

Tale of two halves for Mr. Sanchez. The Colombian midfield anchor was rock solid in the first half, like his nickname suggests, completing all of his passes and helping Villa hold out defensively for 43 minutes. But he struggled in the second half, giving the ball away cheaply on several occasions as he is prone to do.  Probably Villa's most inconsistent player this season, and it showed again.

CM: Fabian Delph, Rating: 3

Key Stat: Just one block.

Pretty bad day for a player Villa needed to excel on Saturday. You could argue a rating of 3 is harsh for Delph, but all three Manchester United goals were directly related to his mistakes. He dropped off Herrera too much on the first goal, didn't close down Rooney with enough urgency on the second and gave the ball away cheaply to set up a United counter attack that led to their third goal. Villa will need better from Delph going forward.

RM: Charles N'Zogbia, Rating: 4

Key Stat: Zero successful take-ons.

Pretty anonymous day for the French winger. N'Zogbia and Hutton were torn apart down Villa's right in the first half, and the winger offered nothing going forward. Completed one pass in the final third in his 60 minutes of action and could have no complaints at being subbed off, again.

LM: Andi Weimann, Rating: 6

Key Stat: Two fouls drawn.

Worked hard as always, but also provided some quality on the counter. Nearly set up Christian Benteke for a goal early in the second half and earned a dangerous free kick on the edge of the United box. Unlucky not to get more reward for a hard afternoon of work.

ST: Gabby Agbonlahor, Rating: 5

Key Stat: One shot attempt.

Really hard to judge Agbonlahor's game. He had some nice touches and was very persistent, but just couldn't create genuine opportunities throughout the game. Definitely needs to build better chemistry with Benteke to get on the end of some of the Belgian's flicked headers. Also could've done more with a chance in the first 10 minutes of the game.

ST: Christian Benteke, Rating: 5

Key Stat: Won 10 headers.

Again, also hard to give Benteke a rating. Was terrible with the ball at his feet, ruining numerous chances to counter and missing a wide open Agbonlahor in the box at one point. But he did score his fourth league goal in as many games thanks to David De Gea's howler and was also very good in the air, flicking on some great balls that his teammates just didn't read. Nice to see Benteke continue scoring, but his overall play can still be a lot better.

SUBS

Leandro Bacuna, Rating: 5

He started at right back to replace Hutton at half time then switched to right midfield after N'Zogbia was subbed on. Didn't do much from open play in his 45 minutes of action. Had a great cross from a free kick that Okore should've hit the target with.

Nathan Baker, Rating: 5

Didn't do much wrong in his return to the lineup at left back. Had five clearances, but offered nothing going forward.

Joe Cole, Rating: 6

Proved he's still alive by playing 15 minutes. Had an assist from a corner (yes, Villa scored from a corner!), but his other two set pieces were pretty dreadful.

Who did you think was the Aston Villa Man of the Match? Vote below!