It was action status in the northwest of England as Manchester United earned a vital three points at Old Trafford as Erik ten Hag’s Red Devils look to push the upper echelon of the Premier League table in the wake of Arsenal’s lunchtime 1-0 loss at Goodison Park against Sean Dyche’s Everton.
A match-opener from the spot set United off and running in the 7th minute after Bruno Fernandes added another goal to his CV in what was otherwise a relatively uneventful first half at the Theatre of Dreams.
United doubled their advantage through in-form England star Marcus Rashford in the 62nd minute when he smartly redirected Luke Shaw’s square ball across the face of goal, slotting past Vicente Guaita to give the Red Devils a comfortable 2-0 lead. But a moment of madness from Casemiro would see the Brazilian veteran be given a straight red after he grabbed Will Hughes with both hands around the neck during a scrum on the touchline in the wake of Antony being bolled over by Jeffrey Schlupp.
At that stage, it was all hands on deck for Ten Hag’s men, especially after Schlupp cut United’s lead in half just six minutes after Casemiro was given his marching orders, with Patrick Vieira’s men desperate to find an equalizer while remaining on the front foot for the majority of the time remaining.
But United would hold on in the end, and the landscape across the Premier League table looks that much healthier from the club’s perspective, with the club temporarily leapfrogging Newcastle United into 3rd (who are currently in action against West Ham United) while closing the gap to rivals Manchester City to just three points, with Pep Guardiola’s men set to lock horns with Tottenham tomorrow.
Manchester United player ratings
- GK: David de Gea - 7.5
- RB: Aaron Wan-Bissaka - 7
- CB: Raphaël Varane - 7
- CB: Lisandro Martínez - 7.5
- LB: Luke Shaw - 7
- CM: Casemiro - 6
- CM: Fred - 7
- CAM: Bruno Fernandes - 8.5
- RW: Antony - 6.5
- LW: Marcus Rashford - 7.5
- CF: Wout Weghorst - 6.5
- Sub: Alejandro Garnacho - 6
- Sub: Marcel Sabitzer - 6
- Sub: Victor Lindelöf - N/A
- Sub: Harry Maguire - N/A
Crystal Palace player ratings
- Gk: Vicente Guaita - 6.5
- RB: Nathaniel Clyne - 7
- CB: Omar Richards - 6.5
- CB: Marc Guehi - 7
- LB: Tyrick Mitchell - 6.5
- CM: Cheick Doucouré - 7.5
- CM: Will Hughes - 6
- CAM: Jordan Ayew - 6
- RW: Michael Olise - 6
- LW: Jeffrey Schlupp - 7.5
- CF: Odsonne Édouard - 6.5
- Sub: Sambi Lokonga - 6.5
- Sub: Eberechi Eze - 6
- Sub: Naouirou Ahamada - N/A
- Sub: Jean-Philippe Mateta - N/A
