Key events
22 min Palace are finding space behind United’s midfield at will, Munoz nudging to Sarr, who moves across the box to Mitchell. He might shoot first time but instead shifts it, hoping for a better opportunity, and Dalot sees him and the ball behind.
21 min Mainoo finds Casemiro, who floats one at Sesko though there’s no one running off him, and the header he wins is easily fielded by Henderson.
20 min The home crowd try to rouse United, who are having more of the ball now, but doing very little with it. And, as I type, Dalot plays a poor pass seeking Fernandes on the edge; Palace intercept and bring it away.
18 mim Twenty-one seconds after conceding, Brighton have gone in front again against Forest, Danny Welbeck putting them 2-1 up.
17 min Pre-match, much of the chatter was about Sesko; he’s barely had a kick so far. More importantly, I think, now has Mainoo and, under Carrick, it’s becoming apparent that if he’s getting touches United are playing well and, if he isn’t, they aren’t.
16 min Johnson goes to the far side of the box, Richards heads back, and United win the second ball before Lammens collects. At Brighton, Forest have equalised, so that’s now 1-1.
15 min A long ball forward and Strand Larsen pins Yoro, who fouls him. Free-kick Palace, 40 yards out, Johnson to take.
13 min Palace have enjoyed 57% possession so far. They’re playing with so much more confidence than a few weeks ago, trusting themselves and each other on the ball – making runs and angles, confident they’ll pick correct options.
11 min Better from United, Mbeumo looking to thread a ball in behind for Mainoo, and when that doesn’t work they recover possession quickly and go again, Henderson collecting Mbeumo’s low cross. They look so open at the back, though, Sarr sliding outside Shaw for Munoz, collecting his return cut-back and shooting hard; Lammens parries above his head. Palace have been excellent so far.
9 min Diego Gomez has put Brighton ahead against Forest while, back in our game, Mitchell is released down the left, Dalot sliding in to block the shot. This is the third game in a row United have started inexcusably slowly.
8 min Palace look to bait the press, knocking the ball about the back line and inviting United on before exploiting the space created. That doesn’t work this time, the pass in behind too long, but the goal allows them to sit back and play their game.
7 min Oh, and at Craven Cottage, Harry Wilson has just smashed in a goal that means it’s Fulham 1-0 Spurs.
6 min Over the last decade or so and also this season, United have got very good at getting into decent positions, then not winning matches they’re expected to. This is now a big test for them.
6 min Kamada pulls back Mbeumo and is booked.
GOAL! Manchester United 0-1 Crystal Palace (Lacroix 4)
The corner swings out as Lacroix shoves then steps back to lose Yoro and, from a fair way out, 14 yards or so, he guides a terrific header into the far corner. Palace have started well and they’re already reaping the rewards.
3 min Back come Palace, Lacroix drilling an excellent ball out to Sarr, whose cross is behind Strand Larson; he tries a scorpion kick, and the ball flies behind off a defender for a corner.
3 min A weak clearance from Henderson arrives at Fernandes’ feet, and he shoots instantly, but doesn’t get enough on the shot, allowing the keeper to run back, catch up with the ball, and save.
2 min Palace begin well, sending the ball wide left, Maguire heading away the cross, then Strand Larson thrashes wide.
1 min Away we go!
Let’s not read too much into Oliver Glasner’s ability to handle pressure based on the unique circumstances at Crystal Palace,” chides Eric Perterson. “He didn’t just elevate Palace, he brought them to unprecedented heights. Club leadership was either unprepared or unwilling to accept the risks of trying to sustain that level. Now, that last part is perfectly understandable, but I have a hard time sitting in judgment of Glasner’s public reactions to what I imagine felt like a betrayal to not only himself but the club. If anything, if I’m a ‘behemoth’, I want that bravado – heck, I need that bravado – in my manager. Glasner helped Palace break through its ceiling as a ‘mid-ranker’. Taking his club’s ceiling and hanging it like an albatross around his neck as a manager isn’t just unfair, it’s nonsense.”
That’s not what I’m saying. I don’t see in him the kind of personality able to manage United – I don’t think that’s especially controversial, hardly anyone in the world is capable – and his game-model is reactive, not dominating.
Back to OT and out come our teams….
Rangers and Celtic has finished 2-2. Naturally, full-time has provoked scenes of all the things that absolutely no one, not you, or you or me, ever want to see. Martin O’Neill is currently on the pitch hauling his players out of trouble.
“Definitely a tale of two managers today,” reckons Dave Estherby. “Like it or not United haven’t been this good for five years, win today and Carrick is officially Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. Glasner, on the other hand, seems to be under the misguided assumption that Radcliffe et al will snap him up in the summer – lose today and he is, well, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. Just to add, whatever happens today I just hope those clowns in Stockley Park don’t endeavour to ruin everyone’s afternoon yet again, joga bonito is dying in front of us.”
I doubt Glasner thinks he can get this job now, unless he’s been advised to the contrary. Otherwise, I think Carrick has changed a lot more about United than Solskjaer did, in particular the out-of-possession work. He needs to show now that under him, they can dominate games.
Ahahahaha! Hatate has his poor penalty saved by Butland, has his follow-up brilliantly saved too, then pokes in at the third time of asking. From 2-0, it’s 2-2 with five minutes of injury-time being played.
Oh my days! Celtic have a penalty at Ibrox…
Email! “It would be churlish to criticise Carrick given his unbeaten record and the transformation of the mood around Old Trafford since Amorim left,” begins Rick Harris, “but I do find the preference for Lenny Yoro ahead of Ayden Heaven rather surprising as the latter has looked far more impressive on the ball, has better distribution and looks less risk-prone in defence.”
I think the main reason it’s Yoro is that he came on at West Ham and played brilliantly so, when there was a space next game, he’d earned the right to fill it. I agree, though, that Heaven is a talent, and I’m sure the ultimate ambition is for the two of them to be United’s first-choice centre-backs at some point in the next couple of seasons.
He says that Sesko’s been feeling good for a few weeks now, building confidence and belief, so he’s looking forward to seeing him today. Amad’s been good too, so is a great option to have from the bench and he can affect the game in so many different ways.
Carrick then deadbats a question about Liverpool’s win yesterday – he’s really good at doing that while saying nowt – Palace are difficult to play against and a good side, so he’s focused on that. Otherwise, Martínez isn’t far away and might be ready for Newcastle on Wednesday night.
We will, of course, be updating you on this afternoon’s other early games: Brighton v Forest and Fulham v Spurs, but here’s Carrick.
So where is the game? Well, United will have to adjust a little, given they’re starting with a centre-forward; with Palace likely to defend deep and centrally, a reference-point will probably be a help. I’d expect Mbeumo to step inside on to his left foot and try and pick him out with crosses to the back post, because if he times it, he’s almost unbeatable in the air. Otherwise, I’d expect them to play into Bruno, who’ll slip passes down the sides of the outside centre-backs, with the two wide players looking to hit the space behind the wing-backs.
As for Palace, they’ll look for Sarr and Johnson to come from deep and hit the edge of the box on the run, overloading Casemiro whether playing off Strand Larsen or getting on the end of crosses and cut-backs from the wing-backs. They’ll also look for Wharton to punch passes through the lines and into the attackers, while the rest of the team quickly transition from defence to attack.
Celtic have pulled one back at Ibrox…
…join Will Magee for what should be a wild last 25 and change.
Glasner, of course, is one of the names that’s been mentioned in connection with the United manager’s job; all I can say is I’d be surprised. His 3-4-2-1 isn’t going to attract anyone, and the way he’s handled the pressure of this season hasn’t evidenced the kind likely to thrive at Old Trafford. Different managers are good at different things, and Glasner’s particular ability seems to me to be elevating mid-rankers, not dominating at a behemoth.
Oliver Glasner, of course, is leaving Palace in the summer, but before we talk about him, here he is giving an interview. He says that, after some injuries, Palace are back playing better, and then explains that Guessand hasn’t played so many games, so he’s left to create an impact from the bench after a big week for him. Johnson, meanwhile, is confident having scoring the Europa League winner against United, so comes into what he thinks will be an intense game.
On United, he notes a team celebrating each other, not just when they score but when they defend, and that Carrick’s been able to pick more or less the same side in every game.
As for Palace, Oliver Glasner makes one change to the side that beat Zrinjski Mostar on Thursday night, Brennan Johnson replacing Evann Guessand; looking at the side which beat Wolves last weekend, Maxence Lacroix is in for Chadi Riad, while Adam Wharton returns from suspension in place of Will Hughes and Johnson takes Yeremy Pino’s spot.
Back to our teams, Benjamin Sesko finally gets his start for United – and no one can say he has’t earned it. He comes in for Amad, who played really well in the first few games under Carrick, but has been quieter since, and whose relatively low numbers in terms of goals and assists make him the obvious candidate to drop out.
Otherwise, Leny Yoro continues in the absence of Lisandro Martínez. United missed his passing at Everton, but Yoro’s recovery pace allows them to defend higher.
Before we go into these, it’s all going on at Ibrox Stadium:
If you can get to see Chermiti’s first goal. do it.
Teams!
Manchester United (4-2-3-1): Lammens; Dalot, Yoro, Maguire, Shaw; Casemiro, Mainoo; Mbeumo, Fernandes, Cunha; Sesko. Substitutes: Bayindir, Heaven, Malacia, Mazraoui, Moorhouse, T. Fletcher, Ugarte, Amad, Zirkzee.
Crystal Palace (3-4-2-1): Henderson; Richards, Lacroix, Canvot; Muñoz, Wharton, Kamada, Mitchell; Sarr, Johnson; Strand Larsen. Substitutes: Benitez, Pino, Uche, Clyne, Hughes, Sosa, Guessand, Riad, Devenny.
Referee: Chris Kavanagh (Ashton-under-Lyne)
Preamble
Michael Carrick has done pretty well at ensuring every Manchester United game he manages doesn’t turn into a referendum on his capacity to do the job permanently. But he’s started so well, it remains the principal conversation, and we’re now at a juncture point: he’s established himself as the leading candidate, so what does he need from here to secure the job?
Obviously the main thing he needs is results, but it is now the case that United have attackers able to win any game against any team. So, though outcomes are telling, they can also be ascribed to sheer weight of talent: what Carrick needs to show is that he can get the team playing dominant, controlling football.
In that sense, the win at Everton is a potential red flag. The result was an excellent one with the counter that secured the win impressive, so too the goalkeeping and box defending that preserved it. The performance, though, was not, especially given Carrick had nine days to prepare for the game so, if time shows it to be an outlier, it’s a team finding a way to win on a bad night and a good sign; but if the level they delivered on Monday is one they continue to deliver, it shouldn’t be enough to secure him the job even if they continue winning.
That makes this a very big game, United able to move third if they win and, with Palace recovering from a big physical and emotional dump on Thursday night, one Carrick needs them to win well. But they’ve developed a habit of wining at Old Trafford in recent years, have more fit players than they did and, almost but not quite safe from relegation, should arrive with the just the right amount of desire and relaxation. If United aren’t at it, Palace have the players to hurt them – and even if they are, they still do. This afternoon won’t be conclusive, but it will be persuasive.
Kick-off: 2pm
