Manchester United sneaked a 2-1 away victory against Crystal Palace in a high-octane game at Selhurst Park.
Paul Pogba opened the scoreboard with a tap-in for United with a very controversial goal, right before the half time whistle. James McArthur leveled it for the London Side in the second half after a wonderful piece of touch from Damien Delaney found him one-on-one with David de Gea. The visitors, however, managed to seal the game from a well-placed goal by Zlatan Ibrahimovic right at the end of regulation time.
For a game packed with energy, there were several controversial decisions adding on to the already tense atmosphere. Here are the talking points for the game.
#1 United still haven’t addressed their defensive issues
United of this season has not lost points due to shabby play, but rather their defensive misgivings. Although they managed to grab three points, it was yet another example of giving away their lead despite a very strong midfield and attacking presence. This is unlike Mourinho's previous tenures where he was famous for holding on to one goal leads. A possible reason for the same can be attributed to a lack of focus after scoring a goal, leading to bad positioning in the defensive line.
A very similar set of mistake cost United 2 points each at West Ham and Arsenal despite putting their best performances on the pitch- a momentary lapse in focus. Marcos Rojo has yet to correct on his tackling issues, earning a yellow card yet again this game. Bailly’s injury only add to the woes.
#2 Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Paul Pogba hit gold
Paul Pogba is slowly silencing his critics, one game at a time. He scored a goal in injury time of the first-half, under dubious circumstances, but that is not an indication of his quality throughout the game. He regularly found himself in the middle of attacks, where he would often pair up with Zlatan or take a few long-range shots himself, often troubling Hennessey.
He also created some of the best chances which couldn’t be converted, including a beautiful chip through ball for Wayne Rooney, who couldn’t find his record-breaking goal for yet another game. This is also Pogba’s first game with both a goal and an assist for Manchester United.
Zlatan, on the other hand, has managed to slot the ball home yet again, making it 5 goals in the last 5 Premier League games. This spree follows his goal drought of 6 games. While he certainly can do better with the number of balls being provided to him, there seems to be an improvement in his play with every game. The positives clearly overweight the negatives.
#3 Ander Herrera shows the capacity of a midfield maestro
The 27-year-old Spaniard has been one of the most consistent players for the Red Devils this season. His terrific performances have been compared to a quality which was missing ever since Paul Scholes retired, by Scholes himself. This game was no different. He was involved in around 70 passes in the midfield, alongside Carrick and Pogba, effectively regulating and dictating the tempo of the entire game.
He was also involved in 3 shots, in which one narrowly missed the right post. His performances are an indication of a growing chemistry at the team’s midfield, once shared by Michael Carrick and Darren Fletcher during United’s golden era under Ferguson.
#4 Referee Craig Pawson’s decisions cost hurt both teams
There have been multiple controversial decisions all throughout the game. A few of them have been described here.
Marcos Rojo’s tackle around the 38-minute mark was a controversial call as many called for it to be a straight red. It was understood to be two footed. He was booked with a yellow card for the same challenge.
United’s goal right before half time came from a Juan Mata free kick, who lobbed it into Ibrahimovic. Zlatan’s "chest" pass to Pogba, on closer inspection, seemed to be a handball. Pogba's tap-in goal itself would have been void as he was offside.
In the second half, two continuous attacks saw two major decisions go against United. A Blind corner on the 69 minute mark saw Joe Ledley’s handball inside his own box, but a penalty was denied to the away side, leading to outrage by their players. The very next move saw Mata being denied a goal on account of being offside while replay shows otherwise.
There have been several other fouls and tackle-based decisions which have put the referee’s decisions under the scanner on this mid-week game.
#5 Goalkeepers are the real heroes
Wayne Hennessey can be proud of his performance, despite giving away two goals in this game. He warded away several strong shots, including a very well placed top corner attempt by Wayne Rooney. United strikers kept him busy all day, and he did well to ward off the pressure being put on him so well.
David de Gea on the other side proved to be an equal challenge to get past. While the first half did not see a lot of action for him, McArthur’s shot in the second half seemed almost destined for the top corner if not for De Gea’s full stretch fingertip save.
