Analysis: Manchester United vs. Crystal Palace

Manchester United got back to winning ways as they closed the gap on fourth-placed Liverpool to eight points after recording a 2-0 away win at Crystal Palace.

Palace had defended admirably for an hour but shot themselves in the foot when Marouane Chamakh bundled into Patrice Evra to concede a penalty, with Robin Van Persie more than happy to dispatch such a gift.

Wayne Rooney then celebrated his new £300,000 per week contract by getting back on the scoresheet after his recent drought, sweeping home a cross into the top corner to give United a vital victory ahead of the Champions League showdown with Olympiakos on Tuesday.

Key Stats

Manchester United dominated possession against Crystal Palace as they controlled 60% of the play, but only did as much with it as their opponents.

United still only recorded 14 shots on goal, one fewer than Palace, while the hosts had more on target (6) than the Red Devils (5).

David Moyes’ side completed 90% of their passes and restricted Palace to just a 42% tackling success rate, as they eased eventually to victory, not exerting themselves too much ahead of a Champions League clash in Greece.

Star Performer

Michael Carrick was the midfield metronome for Manchester United, as he recorded a Squawka performance score of 60 for his composed display at Selhurst Park.

Carrick completed a massive 130 passes over the course of the game with a stunning accuracy of 94% as Palace were unable to get the ball away from him.

In addition, as a defensive shield he completed two interceptions and two clearances to keep the hosts from getting any momentum.

Performance Score

The Squawka performance chart shows an even first half as the two sides struggled to get a rhythm going, but the second half shows a worthy winner.

United improved throughout as they put in a complete second half performance, with 312 points separating the teams come the end.

Key Observations

Marouane Fellaini put in probably his most accomplished performance in a United shirt, having missed the last 12 games after having surgery on his wrist.

Immediately restored to the first team, he seemed comfortable in the midfield to allow Manchester United to dominate a potentially tricky fixture against an in-form Palace side.

While he did have one erroneous shot he probably should have done better with, he marshalled the middle of the pitch against a tough-tackling side to record a Squawka performance score of 56, completing an impressive 92% of his 71 attempted passes.

The Belgian won all three of his tackling attempts, four aerial duels and made four interceptions as he brought the physical presence that United’s midfield and his own performances have been heavily lacking this season.

However, there is something to be said that United still didn’t provide the penetration their dominance deserved, having completed 589 passes compared to the hosts 230.

As stated, Carrick made 130 passes during the game, but only one was a key pass and the team as a whole made just nine in the 90 minutes played, less than the ten Palace managed to complete.

Still, at least they managed to attempt less crosses than their opponents this time round, having produced 19 crosses compared to the 22 the Eagles tried.