- Manchester United overcame a late scare to defeat Crystal Palace 2-1 in the Premier League
- Marcus Rashford doubled a Bruno Fernandes penalty to put the Red Devils two goals ahead
- Casemiro was dismissed after a VAR intervention
On Saturday afternoon at Old Trafford, Manchester United overcame a late scare to defeat Crystal Palace 2-1 in the Premier League.
Just past the hour mark, Marcus Rashford doubled a Bruno Fernandes penalty to put the Red Devils two goals ahead. Casemiro was dismissed for the home team, but Jeffrey Schlupp cut the deficit in half in the 76th minute to set up a thrilling conclusion in Manchester.
However, Erik ten Hag’s team managed to finish the game, which lasted an additional seven minutes, to win all three points, moving them ahead of Newcastle United into third place in the standings.
United’s early start
Bruno Fernandes opened the scoring for United.|PHOTO Sky Sports|
Will Hughes handled a Rashford cross inside the box, earning Man United a penalty in the fifth minute of play. Fernandes gave the home team the lead by slotting the ball into the bottom corner, while Vicente Guaita misjudged his direction.
When Wout Weghorst headed towards the top corner in the 13th minute, Guaita was there to make a smart save. Then, Raphael Varane had a goal-bound shot blocked.
In the 27th minute, Rashford’s attempt was blocked by Guaita, who then turned aside an Antony long-range attempt.
In the 31st minute, Rashford tried his luck again, sending a long-range shot over the crossbar. Fred then found his teammate with a low cross from Weghorst, and his low strike just missed the post.
In the 42nd minute, with Man United up one goal, David de Gea had to make a deft save to stop a decisive Schlupp strike.
Man United had their first half-chance of the second half in the 56th minute, with Rashford firing just over the Palace crossbar after working his way into the penalty box.
Manchester United doubled their lead in the 63rd minute, with Rashford scoring after converting a brilliant low cross from Luke Shaw.
Casemiro sees red
Casemiro saw red after VAR intervention.|PHOTO: Sky Sports|
In the 65th minute of the game, there was a brawl involving several players in response to Schlupp’s challenge on Antony, which resulted in both players receiving yellow cards.
The referee was then sent to the monitor to investigate Casemiro’s behaviour, with the Brazilian having his hands around Hughes’ neck, and a red card was issued to the Brazilian.
In the following period, Odsonne Edouard fired one over the crossbar of Manchester United before Marc Guehi had a close-range header brilliantly saved by De Gea.
However, Palace equalized in the 76th minute when Schlupp guided the ball home with a clever flick after the hosts failed to deal with a corner.
The Eagles were the team on the front foot in the following spell, and there was almost an equalizer in the 88th minute through Jean-Philippe Mateta, but Fernandes did well to put him off as he jumped to meet a dangerous cross from the left.
Marcel Sabitzer had been introduced for his Manchester United debut, and the hosts put up a fight in the closing stages, with Harry Maguire and Victor Lindelof also making appearances.
However, Palace struggled to get the ball up the field in the seven additional minutes, and Ten Hag’s side held on to pick up a crucial three points in their fight for a top-four finish.
Man United will play at home against Leeds United on Wednesday, while Palace will look to get back on track when they host Brighton & Hove Albion next Saturday.
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