Manchester United came through a testing encounter at Selhurst Park to record all three points.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s team were pushed for the entire game – which extended to over 100 minutes – but they saw the match out in impressive fashion to take a crucial victory thanks to goals from Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial.
Anthony Fosu-Mensah was the player to come in at left-back while Scott McTominay came in for Nemanja Matic – otherwise, it was the same team which started on Monday night, despite Sunday’s FA Cup semi-final now so close.
And in the early stages United looked leggy. Palace put on some early pressure and it looked as if it could be a difficult night. But the visitors responded with chances of their own – Harry Maguire, on another night, might easily have had a brace with headers from corners. Mason Greenwood scuffed a chance in a position he has been so deadly from recently.
United got a crucial breakthrough on half-time. Fernandes and Martial were involved in the build-up and Rashford showed fine composure to delay his finish before sliding the ball into the net.
Early in the second half, Palace thought they had levelled. Had Jordan Ayew been wearing boots that were a size smaller, they would have done, but the width of a digital line meant the goal was ruled out.
Rashford had an effort saved after a good move started by Fosu-Mensah, who grew into his role as the night went on. Fernandes, who had another fairly quiet outing, hit the post in the 74th minute when he might have felt he could have done better. No matter – four minutes later he was involved in another United goal. Rashford’s work on the halfway line was exceptional and he played the ball to Fernandes. The pass came back to the England striker, who cushioned the ball into the path of Martial. Martial held off a challenge and scored comfortably.
It was one of the finest goals of the season but came with an extra price for the hosts; van Aanholt was injured after clashing with Martial and had to be stretchered off.
That led to eleven minutes of stoppage time, and it was easily after 10:15pm when the game ended, making it a contender for the latest United have ever played a league game.
Following Leicester’s win earlier in the day it was vital that United win. They did just that, but the true cost might only be apparent after the 50th minute on Sunday evening.
Selection
You can’t criticise Solskjaer for taking the game seriously even if it comes with a cost in the FA Cup. United won and played well as the game went on. His selection of Fosu-Mensah may have been the biggest gamble of all and nobody is saying this was a convincing audition for a permanent new left-back but the Dutch player has had his troubles and this was a commendable shift.
Midfield roles
It seems as if Nemanja Matic is preferred for his composure and experience. Those are qualities Scott McTominay doesn’t have, but what he does have is a tenacity and greater engine. Perhaps those are qualities Fred doesn’t have, although Fred does have a little bit of bombast in his own play which the other two don’t.
If only United could fuse the three together. Out of the three, McTominay can hopefully learn to pick up the extra traits because he has the raw materials to build upon. As it stands, this isn’t one of Ole’s emergencies, but you can’t help but think the occasional inability to get the selection right on this score might undermine chances of success. It’s only a minor niggle – McTominay was okay tonight, but Matic showed an instant increase in composure and assurance when he arrived on the pitch.
Ratings :
De Gea 8
Wan-Bissaka 6
Lindelof 6
Maguire 7
Fosu-Mensah 7
McTominay 7
Pogba 8
Fernandes 7
Greenwood 6
Martial 8
Rashford 7
