Premier League: Missed opportunities for Man United
Crystal Palace 0 - 0 Manchester United
Manchester United missed several big chances in their goalless draw at Selhurst Park in the Premier League.
Fresh from their 7-0 EFL Cup win over Barnsley on Tuesday, Ten Hag's side cut Palace open at will in a dominant first half.
Alejandro Garnacho, who replaced Marcus Rashford in the starting XI, had an early shot saved by the goalkeeper before Matthijs de Ligt and Lisandro Martinez were denied by the home goalkeeper Dean Henderson's feet.
The visitors continued to pile on the pressure with Garnacho sweeping against the bar after being played in down the left.
The rebound fell to Bruno Fernandes, who was often the orchestrator for the Reds. His effort bounced off the pitch before it clipped the top of the bar.
The home side eventually grew into the half and came closest when Eberechi Eze slotted into the hands of Andre Onana when unmarked on the penalty spot.
The second half was definitely more even. Fernandes curled wide before a Garnacho effort was tipped wide. United were still in control even if Palace did have some of those chances.
At the other end, Eddie Nketiah had an effort tipped back into danger by Onana, but the rebound was superbly clawed behind by the Reds keeper.
The best chance of the half fell to Eze, though, with the England forward inexcusably missing the target when unmarked from 12 yards.
The video assistant referee also cleared a second-half challenge by Martinez. The Argentina defender left the ground and lunged in two-footed, but no contact was made with Daichi Kamada.
The point leaves United in 11th place, and Palace are still winless in 16th place.
Premier League: 2024/2025 season (eurosuperfootball.blogspot.com)
Plenty of positives for Ten Hag's side
Their 66.8% share of possession was their most in an away game since April 2023, for example. However, old weaknesses were glaringly obvious again.
While no gilt-edged chances were missed, the United boss will feel his side created more than enough to take the three points.
Martinez will believe he should have scored after the ball fell kindly from a corner, while Garnacho and particularly Fernandes will rue hitting the woodwork.
Palace show steel to earn a point
Oliver Glasner’s side could, and perhaps should, have been trailing by a considerable margin after the opening half an hour.
They struggled to get a foothold in the game, often camped deep in their own half, and were indebted to Henderson for some brilliant reaction saves to deny Martinez and De Ligt.
Eze's two unmarked chances - one in each half - should have resulted in at least one goal, while Sarr will replay his miss repeatedly. He had to quickly readjust his body after Onana's parry back into the penalty area. He couldn't lift the ball over the Reds' keeper, who leapt to his left and raised his left arm brilliantly to turn it behind for a corner.
A first league win awaits for The Eagles, but three draws in a row, and progression in the EFL Cup, show Palace are settling into the season after losing Michael Olise to Bayern Munich and Joachim Andersen to Fulham.
Reaction from GMCR Football
Promising signs for Manchester United
— GMCR Football (@GMCRFootball158) September 22, 2024
For fans of The Red Devils, they would have wondered how they didn't win.
More reaction here: https://t.co/fojPjIFbrh pic.twitter.com/OiQ9rRXFji
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