Southern Rail’s decision to cancel every London service on Tuesday and Wednesday this week could well have deterred fans from making the trip to Selhurst Park as Crystal Palace hosted Manchester United, yet that wasn’t to be the case as a nigh-on sellout crowd was in attendance to see Jose Mourinho’s side secure a 2-1 win.
Wayne Rooney had the first real chance of the game after being found by Juan Mata following some fluid attacking movement by the pair, but with the ball fizzed in at pace, the United skipper could only head wide of Wayne Hennessey’s goal at the Palace stopper’s near post. Clear-cut chances were few and far between in the opening 30 minutes, though, as both teams struggled to forge any real opportunities early on. With the first half wearing on, however, Paul Pogba was on hand to loft a lovely ball over the defence for Mata, whose effort was turned away by Hennessey.
The Wales international was then able to deny a low Pogba drive after the France international was picked out at the back post. Pogba fizzed in a low volley, yet Hennessey was equal to the United man’s shot. There was to be no stopping football’s most expensive player on the stroke of half time, however, as some poor marking from a United free kick left the summer signing with an easy finish to put United ahead. That being said, despite their dominance, United were lucky to be ahead at the interval with Zlatan Ibrahimovic not pulled up for handball after the ball had been swung into the box for Pogba's opener.
It wasn’t until the hour mark that Palace forged their first real scoring chance. James McArthur found himself in space some 25 yards from goal before unleashing a barnstorming drive on David de Gea’s goal, which the United number one was forced to turn behind for a Palace corner. The Scotland international wasn’t to be denied five minutes later, though, as the midfielder was on hand to finish a fine Eagles attacking move with aplomb past the onrushing De Gea.
United looked to force the issue as the minutes ticked towards the 90, with Ibrahimovic playing the ball through to substitute Jesse Lingard, whose low effort was turned away by an inspired Hennessey. They were rewarded for their pressure when Ibrahimovic neatly tucked away at the Palace far post having been slid in behind the Palace defence by Pogba moments later. Despite some late Palace pressure, United held on to secure all three points to improve their chances of a top-four finish. It’s cause for concern for Palace, however, who have now won just one of their last nine Premier League games and they now linger just three points above the relegation zone.
Having conceded nine goals in the previous three games prior to Wednesday’s defeat at the hands of United, Palace looked as though they were on course for a much-needed positive result and, importantly, a strong defensive showing to boost morale ahead of the festive period. Yet, it was a touch of magic that ultimately proved to be the difference between the two teams. Pogba may have been fortuitous to open the scoring given the handball in the build up to his goal, but his assist for Ibrahimovic’s winner was part of the reason United splashed out to bring him back to Old Trafford.
After parting with £89m, one expects Pogba to make the difference in turgid affairs and Wednesday proved to be the case for United. He played more key passes (4) than any other player, one of which was for Ibrahimovic’s goal. Playing on the left of a three-man midfield in a 4-3-3 formation, the youngster was granted the license to help support the attack, which he did effectively. Four successful dribbles was second only to former United man Wilfried Zaha (6) and contributed to a WhoScored rating of 9.76, that in turn enough to secure the man of the match award.
United’s performance here, though, was synonymous with a battling performance under a Mourinho team as they dug in deep to secure a second successive league win in what was a potential banana skin in the build up to Christmas. Not only did United have more possession than Palace (61% to 39%), but they also made more tackles (24 to Palace’s 18), highlighting how they allowed the Eagles very little time to properly settle during the rare occasion they were in possession. Indeed, Palace created just six goalscoring chances and six shots, three of which were on target, as United efficiently shut out the hosts to record a morale boosting victory in south London.
