Do Manchester United need to win this game? Despite being in the ascendancy for long periods, they failed to score at Selhurst Park on Saturday, and only managed to secure a point thanks to some brilliant saves from Andre Onana.
Midfielder Casemiro and 36-year-old veteran Jonny Evans started at centre-back in the 4-0 defeat to Crystal Palace here at the end of last season, but manager Erik ten Hag chose not to start in-form forward Marcus Rashford this time.
The team responded with a strong first-half performance, with former United goalkeeper Dean Henderson making three excellent saves from Alejandro Garnacho, Matthijs de Ligt and Lisandro Martinez, while Garnacho and Bruno Fernandes also hit the crossbar before the break.
Martinez was perhaps lucky to avoid a red card when he lunged forward with both feet in a tussle with Kamada Daichi in the second half, with the Premier League’s match centre adjudging it to be reckless rather than dangerous after a VAR review and allowing the initial warning to stand.
Rashford came on as a 61st-minute substitute but Onana produced two stunning saves to deny Eddie Nketiah and Ismaila Sarr as United settled for a draw, meaning they have now failed to win in their previous five meetings with Palace.
Karl Anka and Laurie Whitwell break down the action.
Should Rashford have started?
The pre-match debate among fans was over whether Garnacho or Amado should start opposite Rashford, with Ten Hag instead dropping the latter to the bench – a surprising move given Rashford’s recent resurgence in goalscoring form, scoring three consecutive goals against Southampton and midweek Carabao Cup opponents Barnsley.
In his pre-match press conference, Ten Hag had explained that playing Rashford and backing him up had been key to his improved performances despite the striker’s poor form for 12 consecutive games, so this appeared to go against that and was a case of Ten Hag putting the top on a ketchup bottle (to use his own metaphor).
Answering questions about Rashford’s alleged indiscretions last season, Ten Hag said he recognised the striker needed to get his life together but United insisted the decision to leave him out was purely tactical.
Rashford watches the first half (Ian Kington/AFP via Getty Images)
Ten Hag said: “It’s not a difficult decision. We have to rotate, there are a lot of games to cover and we have to leave it to Alejandro as a reserve. He’s achieved a lot, goals, assists, etc. He’s only started once this season.”
United have a group of players competing for selection and need to reach this state regularly; Manchester City and Liverpool have established it for years now.
Rashford looked dejected on the bench and TV cameras frequently showed him biting his nails, but he had fun in the warm-up and was seen juggling the ball with Anthony as he walked down the tunnel after the game.
He came on as a substitute for Joshua Zirkzee in the 60th minute and played up front, as he did against Barnsley, before moving to his preferred position on the left wing when Rasmus Hojlund was introduced 15 minutes from time, but neither player played a significant role.
Laurie Whitwell
Why did Dalot become such an important figure?
Ten Hag surprised many by starting Christian Eriksen in midfield for the third time in a week, and the benefits of using the 32-year-old are clear so far, as are his weaknesses.
Fortunately for United, the manager found a way to get the most out of Eriksen and prevent the midfield from becoming overwhelmed, by flipping Diogo Dalot from left-back into that area of the pitch.
The Portugal international picked up at Selhurst where he left off against Southampton last Saturday, frequently moving into the central area to stand next to Coby Mainu, giving United extra weight.
Dalot often played in central midfield, encouraging centre-backs Martinez and de Ligt to pass the ball around Palace’s stalwart defence without attempting risky passes that would have broken through their own.
Dalot takes on Daniel Munoz (Andrew Kearns – CameraSport via Getty Images)
United dominated Palace throughout the first half (67% possession), and part of the reason for this was Dalot’s strong form both in attack and defence.
He became a key player for Ten Hag.
Karl Anka
Onana in top form
Concentration is a key skill for a goalkeeper, as first-team goalkeepers can spend upwards of an hour during a match doing very little and then be called upon to spring into action to make a vital save and stop the tide turning in their favour.
Palace didn’t touch the ball once inside United’s penalty box in the first 30 minutes of the night – their expected goals (xG) was 0.0 at half-time – and for much of the game Onana had to make do with goal kicks and supporting the back four in the build-up play.
But as Palace gradually got better in the second half, his other abilities came to the fore.
Onana produced a superb double save in the 65th minute to prevent United going 1-0 down. He did well to keep out Nketiah’s left-footed shot from 18 yards out and then showed great judgement by rising from the ground and diving towards the far post to deny Sarr a tap-in from close range.
It was another double save, following his penalty save against Southampton last week.
Onana’s unconventional positioning isn’t to everyone’s taste, but as he continues his second season in England, he is building a catalogue of key saves for United – particularly good at stopping shots aimed at the centre – and with a more stable back four in front of him, United fans should soon get to see his superlative passing range as well.
For UK readers:
Andre Onana made an incredible double save to keep the score level 😳🧤 pic.twitter.com/HDWexFk17i
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) September 21, 2024
For US readers:
Replay angle of Andre Onana’s amazing double save. 😲
📺 NBC & Peacock | #CRYMUN pic.twitter.com/LZ0FD4vDB5
— NBC Sports Soccer (@NBCSportsSoccer) September 21, 2024
Karl Anka
What did Erik ten Hag say?
Speaking on Sky Sports before kick-off, Jamie Redknapp questioned the reasons for Rashford’s absence, highlighting Ten Hag’s pre-match comments that the player was living life properly.
But Ten Hag responded: “Already, some experts are speculating like crazy. It’s almost ridiculous to make such speculations without knowing what’s going on.”
“It’s just a rotation. We have to cover a lot of games and we have more than 11 starters, but if they do well, we have to give everyone a chance. And in the end, of course, the player who performs better will play more. I’m very happy with Marcus. He’s performing very well in his defensive part, in his offensive part, scoring in this moment. It has nothing to do with him being on the bench, it’s just a rotation.”
“I have to say that Amado is playing very well. Garnacho has also produced results in all his games so far, except against Liverpool. We have to play against them too.”
What’s next for Manchester United?
Wednesday 25th September: FC Twente (H), Europa League, 8pm BST, 3pm ET
Sunday 29 September: Tottenham Hotspur (H), Premier League, 4:30pm BST, 11:30am ET
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(Top photo: Ian Kington/AFP via Getty Images)
