This was only a third Premier League clean sheet for United this season and it was enough to get the club’s in-house broadcaster excited.
In the stands they sang Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s name but here was more evidence of just why Rangnick’s predecessor needed to go. Nor did they really rediscover it in a second period that was marginally more even.īut at least there was none of the maddening vulnerability that has so characterised their football this season. Then, as the first half closed, Dalot cut in from the right to drive a shot over.īy that point there had been an undeniable drop in the energy of United’s football. Ronaldo, meanwhile, was off target with a free-kick and a typically athletic header. Fred was denied by a Tomkins block and Fernandes by goalkeeper Guaita. United really should have scored during this period. Wilfried Zaha was menacing down the left and one neat link-up with the generally average Christian Benteke saw David De Gea stoop to field a low shot. Much earlier in the afternoon, Ayew and his Palace attacking colleagues barely saw the ball. Regardless, he should have done his bit and will have spent much of last night wondering just how on earth he hadn’t. He looked marginally offside during the replays. Had Ayew scored then VAR might have become involved. The delivery to the far post found central defender James Tomkins in half a yard of space and when he headed the ball back across goal, Ayew should have volleyed it in rather than back in the direction whence it came. But encouraged by the scoreline, Patrick Vieira’s team were beginning to sense opportunity when they won a corner in the 75th minute. Palace had played on the counter-attack all afternoon and not always by choice. But they did deserve what they took even if Rangnick will know that things could have taken a disastrous turn a couple of minutes before his team took the lead. Over the whole course of this game, United came up short. That is why Jurgen Klopp calls his Liverpool team the ‘mentality monsters’. But that kind of football requires exceptional physical and mental fitness. They created chances and should probably have won the game there and then. Here during a terrific opening half-hour, United did all of those things. He wants them to live in the opponents’ half and to control games. He wants them to press the ball and be proactive. He said on Friday that it will take time to turn United into the modern force he would like them to be. So there was something for Rangnick to take away from this game other than three points.
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