(Olize 90+1 | Fernandes 43′)
SELHURST PARK – Michael Olize’s stunning free kick in the first minute of extra time robbed Manchester United of a victory that would have put them in second place in the Premier League.
Even before Olize scored, Bruno Fernandes’ first-half goal seemed to lead United to their tenth consecutive victory in all competitions ahead of Sunday’s clash with leaders Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium. Instead, they travel to North London after losing two valuable points and without Casemiro receiving a warning, meaning he will be sidelined from the collision.
United paid the price as they were unable to increase their lead and were vulnerable to a great free kick from Olize that swept under the bar.
Their early dominance was clear and, with the exception of a short early run, they dominated long stretches of the first half, although this was helped in part by the fact that Palace clearly lacked confidence, having lost five of the previous six games.
Erik ten Hag’s team made significant progress on both flanks and were close to taking the lead when right-back Aaron Wan-Bissaka stepped forward and made a cross that found fellow full-back Luke Shaw. Shaw landed a quick shot that went wide of goalkeeper Vicente Guaita and then went wide of the far post.
Despite their possession, United struggled to create scoring chances and the squabbling between Bruno and Anthony was a sign of growing frustration.
Wout Weghorst, who made his loan debut at Burnley, came close to opening the scoring when he crossed Shaw to the top of the net and Marcus Rashford missed a free-kick.
And Palace almost made the guests pay for not giving the game credibility when Odsonne Edouard turned around from the edge of the penalty area and struck four minutes before the break. The Palace striker forced David De Gea to make an acrobatic save that pinned the ball against the crossbar.
However, United were quick to respond and secured the break.
Player Ratings
Crystal Palace (4-2-3-1): Guaita 6; Kline 6, Gay 6, Richards 6, Kline 6; Hughes 6 (Milivojevic 84, 6), Ducur 6 (Schlupp 71, 6); Olize 7, Eduard 6 (Ayu 71, 6), Zaha 6; Mateta 5 (Italy 56, 6).
Manchester United (4-2-3-1): De Gea 6; Wan-Bissaka 6, Varan 6, Martinez 6, Shaw 6; Casemiro 6, Eriksen 8 (Fred 83, 6); Anthony 6 (Garnacho 69, 6), Fernandez 7, Rashford 6; Weghorst, 7 (McTominay, 69, 6)
A well-executed move, this time to the left, allowed Rashford and Christian Eriksen to exchange passes before the Danish international tapped the ball to Fernades, who accurately shot past Guaita from 12 yards.
The goal was nothing more than what Ten Hag’s team deserved, and when play resumed, Palace’s waning confidence seemed to shake even further.
Patrick Vieira spared no effort to return to the game early in the second half. But for all her determined work, her lack of poignancy was all too obvious.
Cross Zaha confused the defense of the guests, and Eberechi Eze, who came on as a substitute, shot wide of the target. But United managed to control the game effortlessly.
The twist came at the end when Fred and Shaw defeated Jeff Schlupp and Olize made the attendees pay a heavy price.
Source: I News
I’m Dave Martin, and I’m an experienced journalist working in the news industry. As a part of my work, I write for 24 News Reporters, covering mostly sports-related topics. With more than 5 years of experience as a journalist, I have written numerous articles on various topics to provide accurate information to readers.