Are these the games Manchester United need to be winning? Having dominated for long spells, they just could not find a goal at Selhurst Park on Saturday and it took a stunning save from Andre Onana to ensure they left with a point.
Having lost 4-0 to Crystal Palace here at the end of last season, in a game when midfielder Casemiro and 36-year-old veteran Jonny Evans started at centre-back, manager Erik ten Hag left out in-form forward Marcus Rashford this time.
His team responded with a strong first-half performance, former United goalkeeper Dean Henderson pulling off three smart saves to deny Alejandro Garnacho, Matthijs de Ligt and Lisandro Martinez. Garnacho and Bruno Fernandes also hit the bar before the break.
Martinez was perhaps fortunate to escape a red card in the second half after a two-footed lunge in a challenge with Daichi Kamada. The Premier League match centre deemed it reckless rather than dangerous after it was reviewed by VAR — and the initial booking stood.
Rashford came off the bench in the 61st minute before Onana produced a stunning double save to keep out Eddie Nketiah and then Ismaila Sarr, and United had to settle for a draw. They have now not won at Palace in their past five attempts.
Carl Anka and Laurie Whitwell analyse the action.
Should Rashford have started?
The pre-match debate among fans was whether Garnacho or Amad would get the start on the opposite flank to Rashford. Instead, Ten Hag dropped the latter to the bench, a surprising move given his recent return to scoring form with three goals in successive games against Southampton and midweek Carabao Cup opponents Barnsley.
In his pre-match press conference, Ten Hag had explained that backing Rashford by selecting him despite his barren stretch of 12 matches was key to him improving his performances. So this appeared to run counter to that, a case of Ten Hag putting the lid back on the ketchup bottle (to use his own analogy).
Ten Hag also spoke about Rashford knowing he needs to live life right, in response to a question about his indiscretions last season, but United sources, speaking on condition of anonymity, insist the call to remove him from the line-up was purely tactical.
Rashford watches on in the first half (Ian Kington/AFP via Getty Images)
Ten Hag said: “Not a difficult decision because we have to rotate, so many games to cover, and we have to give Alejandro games, as we have seen he has such a lot of end-products, goals and assists, as a sub. He started only one time this season.”
This is where United need to get to regularly, having a group of players who are competing for selection. Manchester City and Liverpool have established this for years.
Rashford looked disappointed on the bench, with the television cameras regularly cutting to him biting his fingernails, but he did have fun in the warm-up, juggling the ball with Antony as they walked down the tunnel afterwards.
He entered the action as a replacement for Joshua Zirkzee on the hour, going on up front, as he did against Barnsley, then shifted to his favoured spot on the left wing with 15 minutes to go when Rasmus Hojlund was sent on, but neither player could produce anything meaningful.
Laurie Whitwell
Why Dalot has become a key figure
Ten Hag surprised many by selecting Christian Eriksen in midfield for the third time in a week. The advantages of playing the 32-year-old are known at this point. As are his weaknesses.
Luckily the United manager has found a way to get the most out of Eriksen and to stop his midfield from being overrun — Diogo Dalot inverting from left-back into midfield.
The Portgual international picked up where he left off against Southampton, regularly moving into central areas to sit alongside Kobbie Mainoo and give United some extra heft.
On more than one occasion Dalot could be seen in central midfield, urging centre-backs Lisandro Martinez and Matthijs de Ligt to play the ball around Palace’s stubborn defensive shape, rather than attempt risky passes through it.
Dalot battles with Daniel Munoz (Andrew Kearns – CameraSport via Getty Images)
United dominated Palace for the entirety of the first half (they enjoyed 67 per cent possession) and part of that was down to Dalot keeping things ticking, both in attack and defence. He has become a key player for Ten Hag.
Carl Anka
Onana in fine form
Concentration is an important skill for goalkeepers to have. A No 1 on a top team can spend upwards of an hour doing very little in a game, only to be asked to spring into action to make a key save and stop momentum swinging in the opposite direction.
Crystal Palace had zero touches in United’s penalty box in the first 30 minutes at Selhurst Park. They went in at half-time with an expected goals (xG) total of 0.0. For the majority of Saturday’s game, Onana had to make do with goal kicks and helping his back four in build-up play.
But as Palace slowly mounted in the second half, his other qualities came to the fore. In the 65th minute, Onana made a brilliant double save to stop his team going 1-0 down. He worked well to parry Nketiah’s left-footed strike from 18 yards out, and showed brilliant awareness to get up and launch himself towards the far post to stop Sarr from tapping in the rebound from close range.
It was another double save to sit alongside his penalty-stopping efforts against Southampton last week. Onana’s unorthodox positioning isn’t for everyone, but he’s building a catalogue of important saves for United (he is especially good at stopping shots aimed centrally). With a more settled back four in front of him, fans may soon see the best out of his passing range too.
For UK readers:
Andre Onana with a ridiculous double save to keep the scores level 😳🧤 pic.twitter.com/HDWexFk17i
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) September 21, 2024
For US readers:
The replay angles of Andre Onana’s magnificent double save. 😲
📺 NBC & Peacock | #CRYMUN pic.twitter.com/LZ0FD4vDB5
— NBC Sports Soccer (@NBCSportsSoccer) September 21, 2024
Carl Anka
What did Erik ten Hag say?
We will bring you this after he has spoken at the post-match press conference.
What next for Manchester United?
Wednesday, September 25: FC Twente (H), Europa League, 8pm BST, 3pm ET
Sunday, September 29: Tottenham Hotspur (H), Premier League, 4.30pm BST, 11.30am ET
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(Top photo: Garnacho after hitting the bar. IAN KINGTON/AFP via Getty Images)
