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The injury-stricken Manchester United proved their mettle against the in-form Crystal Palace side with a solid 3-1 victory. It was a good away performance which led to an 8th consecutive away victory under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
United went into the game with nine of their first-team members missing through injury. And Crystal Palace started the game with intent, but Manchester United had most of the ball.
Romelu Lukaku missed a sitter in the early stages of the game but redeemed himself with a Luke Shaw-inspired goal in the same half.
United went into the second half with a one-goal advantage, and were on the front foot. But Paul Pogba missed another opportunity when he headed Diogo Dalot's cross over the bar.
Lukaku scored his second from a poorly defended corner by Crystal Palace.
The hosts showed some character after that and Joel Ward got one back with 25 minutes to play. United found themselves pinned back by the pressure exerted by Palace during this period of play, with the hosts looking more likely to score.
But Ashley Young scored the insurance goal in the 83rd minute after a quick build-up involving Pogba and Lukaku.
United now find themselves just 1 point off the top 4 and 5 points off Tottenham in the 3rd place. Here are the 3 things we learned from the game:
1. Romelu Lukaku looks determined to save his Manchester United career
Lukaku has been getting a lot of stick from United fans lately, and rightly so. He looked lethargic on the pitch and his link-up play had been awful throughout the season.
But he stepped up when his team needed him the most. Against Crystal Palace, he looked like the player United paid £75 million for.
Lukaku scored the first 2 goals and was involved in the 3rd for Manchester United last night. His link-up play was magnificent and he bullied Kelly and Tomkins for most of the game.
He did miss a sitter at the start of the game, but made amends by scoring two.
If Lukaku wants to get into the first team permanently, he needs to continue performing like this every time he gets the opportunity. It will be exciting to see how he performs in the coming weeks.
2. Scott McTominay deserves the respect of the Manchester United supporters
Scott McTominay was widely criticized for his performances under the previous management at Manchester United. He was deemed not good enough to be a Manchester United player by many of the supporters, and was subjected to abuse on social media.
But his recent performances might force the supporters to change their opinion. He has stepped up in the absence of Nemanja Matic and is producing solid performances game after game in the defensive midfield role.
McTominay was the unsung hero of United's victory over Crystal Palace, protecting the defense and allowing the full-backs to bomb forward by dropping deep. It's time he receives some appreciation from the Old Trafford faithful for the job he's doing for the team amid an injury crisis.
3. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer can adapt to difficult situations
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is already the favorite to land the Manchester United manager's job permanently given the start he has had in the Premier League. But yesterday, he proved his credentials again to the Old Trafford hierarchy.
Solskjaer was without 9 first team players for yesterday's game and had to improvise. He selected both Dalot and Young in his starting XI, which left many supports confused. But his selection paid dividends as the two of them were able to stop Wilfred Zaha on that right-hand side.
Dalot also contributed a lot in the final third, with some dangerous crosses into the box.
Solskjaer's substitutions were spot-on as well. He brought on Eric Bailly for Dalot in the 77th minute when Crystal Palace were putting Manchester United under a lot of pressure. His side switched to three at the back and kept Crystal Palace away from their 18-yard box.
Solskjaer's ability to adapt to difficult situations before and during the game is getting him a lot of praise from supporters as well as pundits across the globe. The Manchester United hierarchy will have a very difficult decision to make at the end of the season if he continues like this.
