A game which allowed for a like-for-like comparison between managers and players in the same system saw Ruben Amorim and Manchester United overwhelmingly pale in that comparison to their Crystal Palace counterparts in the first half, before they took full advantage of their hostsâ malaise after the break to claim victory.
As Jean-Philippe Mateta bulldozed his way through the United defence the ball was frequently seen bouncing off Joshua Zirkzee on at the other end, as Maxence Lacroix treated the maligned Red Devilâs attacking presence with the disdain it deserved with a dominating display completely at odds with that of Matthijs de Ligt, who shrunk in the presence of the Palace striker.
Luke Shaw continued to âambleâ and so too did Marc Guehi, but the latter in a peak Virgil van dijk âIâm better than youâ sort of way rather than the formerâs tribute to the current âhis legs have goneâ iteration of the Liverpool captain.
The most damning contrast came in midfield, where Casemiro and Bruno Fernandes routinely played passes to where teammates could and perhaps should have been but werenât, often into spaces actually occupied by Crystal Palace players, as Adam Wharton and Daichi Kamada showed them how that midfield pivot can function effectively.
Wharton is inarguably the star man in the pairing. His excellent round-the-corner pass for Mateta before Leny Yoro tumbled into the striker to concede the penalty was one of many examples in the first half of his forward-first desire and ability.
As both Casemiro and Fernandes dawdled on the ball, Wharton â and to a lesser but still notable extent Kamada â didnât hand their opposite numbers the opportunity to catch them in possession as they did to them. It works because, unlike the United duo, they can both do everything, albeit with varying levels of quality.
Mateta could easily have scored a couple more and Palace really should have been at least two up at the break as Eddie Nketiah ran in sand to deny himself a clear opportunity to score in stoppage-time. A United comeback looked incredibly unlikely.
They were better in the second half and showed plenty of the âfightâ Amorim was desperate for after the defeat to Everton. Crucially, they were playing for the manager.
But it did feel as though their superiority was more down to Palaceâs dwindling reserves of energy than their own uptick in intensity.
Oliver Glasnerâs side hadnât won any of their previous three Premier League clashes after Thursday night Conference League commitments, losing to Everton and Arsenal, and drawing with Brighton. And they looked as though they had quite simply run out of gas after their 2-1 away defeat to Strasbourg.
Eight of the starting XI for the midweek game started here and while Wharton only played an hour in France, his downturn in the second half was as notable as anyoneâs, and he was hooked with 15 minutes to go here as Palace searched for an equaliser after Casemiro and Fernandes wrestled control in the second half.
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Zirkzee wouldnât have emerged for the second half had Amorim had any options on the bench to replace him. He probably wouldnât have been playing if that had been the case. But it was a glorious finish from Fernandesâ free-kick as he controlled on his chest and smashed the ball across Dean Henderson from a tight angle.
Heâs not the answer for United, as he made abundantly clear through much of what he did in this game. But he made the difference in a moment, as Mason Mount did with a drilled shot after a short Fernandes pass from another free-kick to draw United level with Arsenal at the top of the charts with ten goals from set pieces this term.
And in what Arsenal have shown to be a tried-and-tested method of picking up Premier League wins for much of this season, United followed up their set-piece goals with some solid defending.
Has Amorim therefore in fact got United on the same path imperiously trodden by Mikel Artetaâs side on their way to Premier League dominance? They played similarly safe, often boring football before a recent surge in quality and impact from open play.
The lack of any distinguishable attacking pattern whatsoever suggests that if that is the case thereâs a helluva way to go a year on from Amorimâs appointment.
But at the very least, in what should be a given but hasnât been and certainly wasnât in the first half here, United won this game by â as Amorim said afterwards â âfighting for every ballâ, albeit against an opponent with little fight left in them.
