Manchester United defeated a tenacious Crystal Palace 2-1 at Old Trafford in the Premier League. Bruno Fernandes opened the scoring from the penalty spot in the first half, and Marcus Rashford made it 2-0 early in the second.
A match dominated by United threatened to be turned on its head minutes later, when Casemiro was sent off after a melee involving multiple players. The visitors took advantage of the one-man advantage and scored through Jeffrey Schlupp, but the Reds held on in a frantic finish to take all three points.
A match dominated by United threatened to be turned on its head minutes later, when Casemiro was sent off after a melee involving multiple players.The visitors took advantage of the one-man advantage and scored through Jeffrey Schlupp, but the Reds held on in a frantic finish to take all three points.
Referee Andre Marriner initially waved away the Reds’ protests, but after a lengthy VAR check, he was encouraged to view the pitch-side monitor and changed his decision. Bruno Fernandes calmly dispatched the penalty kick, sending Palace keeper Vicente Guaita the wrong way, striking the ball into the bottom left corner.
The Reds dominated the first 45 minutes, and the lead could have been doubled when Wout Weghorst flicked a looping header towards the back post, but Guaita flung himself across goal to save it.
Despite the commanding position, United were unable to add to their tally before the break, and a Jeffrey Schlupp effort served as a warning of what can happen when a second goal is not found – as we discovered to our cost in the reverse fixture. David De Gea was able to repel the attempt on this occasion.
Rashford made a good effort ten minutes after the restart, cutting inside, dropping his shoulder to beat two players and curl the ball towards goal – but his strike went over the bar.
Erik ten Hag introduced Alejandro Garnacho on the hour mark in an attempt to provide some extra spark, and two minutes later he was involved in our second goal of the afternoon. The ball was passed to Luke Shaw, who fizzed a low pin-point cross to Rashford, who diverted it into the net.
On 65 minutes, a dramatic flashpoint resulted in United being reduced to ten men when Antony was pushed off the field by Schlupp. A melee ensued, and both were shown yellow cards, but a VAR review of the incident influenced the referee, who then sent Casemiro off for grabbing Hughes around the neck.
The Eagles had been fairly benign up to that point in the game, but with the extra player, the balance of play shifted in their favour, and they pulled a goal back when a flurry of set-pieces led to Schlupp turning in Cheick Doucoure’s miscued strike.
In order to maintain the lead, a number of substitutions were made, including a debut for loan signing Marcel Sabitzer. In difficult circumstances, the Austrian put in a lively performance as United shut out the visitors for the remainder of normal time and seven additional minutes.
