"Ronaldo going to struggle to get into the team", "Will have a better season than Darwin Nunez" - Manchester United fans lose their mind as Anthony Martial stars once again against Crystal Palace

The Frenchman opened the scoring with a volleyed finish after brilliantly controlling a lofted cross from right-back Diogo Dalot. Martial was then involved in the build-up as Donny van de Beek set up Marcus Rashford for the second goal three minutes into the second half.

The 26-year-old capped off a fantastic display by sending Jadon Sancho through on goal with a neat first-touch pass. Sancho made no mistake to put the Red Devils 3-0 up around the hour mark.

Both players were then substituted in the 66th minute with the game in the bag for Erik ten Hag's men.

Martial has now racked up three goals and an assist in three pre-season matches for Manchester United. It has been a fantastic return for a player who scored only two goals in 23 matches across competitions for two different clubs last season.

Fans of the Red Devils are understandably excited and seem confident that Martial will deliver the goods in the 2022-23 campaign as well. Adam McKola, who is part of the fan channel "Stretford Paddock," tweeted:

Another fan seemed to believe that Martial will enjoy a better campaign than new Liverpool signing Darwin Nunez next season and wrote:

Joel Ward pulled a goal back for Crystal Palace in the 74th minute. However, they couldn't create too many opportunities beyond that, despite United ending the game with 10 men after Will Fish's dismissal with six minutes to go.

Manchester United continue solid start to Erik ten Hag era with third consecutive win

The win against Crystal Palace marked Manchester United's third win on the bounce under Ten Hag.

The Red Devils have scored 11 goals and conceded two in those games and seem to have much more belief in their style of play than last season. A major reason for this has been their impressive attacking trio.

It's not a stretch to state that Martial, Rashford and Sancho struggled last season. The trio combined to record 11 goals and five assists in 81 combined matches for Manchester United.

To put that into context, the Red Devils' top-scorer, Cristiano Ronaldo, scored 24 times in 38 matches in all competitions.

However, all three players have looked sharper and fitter so far under Ten Hag. In addition to Martial's three goals, Rashford and Sancho have scored two apiece.

The trio have also linked up extremely well and are only likely to get better as United get more pre-season action under their belt.

About the author

Anantaajith has been covering European football news at Sportskeeda for almost three years. He previously spent five months at Total Football Analysis, where he deep dived into the likes of the A-League, Chilean and Argentine Primera Divisions, the Turkish league and the Maltese league. A graduate in English and Journalism, and currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Sport Analytics and Technologies from Loughborough University London, Anantaajith is adept at analyzing complex statistics and translating it into concise and reader-friendly content.

He started following football in 2010, watching the FIFA World Cup with his father, a memory he holds very special. The tournament also ignited his admiration for Lionel Messi, who he feels makes the game look simple and produces magic every time on the pitch. Luis Enrique and Sebastien Hoeness are his favorite managers. He supports Barcelona and their 3-2 El Clasico win in the 2016-17 season left a lasting impact on him. The 2022 FIFA World Cup final between France and Argentina is another match etched in his memory.

Anantaajith has interviewed many ISL footballers like Anirudh Thapa, Vincy Barretto, Samik Mitra, Jordan Murray, and covered the entirety of the 2022-23 ISL season and the 2023 SAFF Championship. He was cited on the ISL website several times for his efforts.

In his free time, he likes to sing, work out, play football, or play cricket at club/divisional level.

Know More