Report and highlights as Manchester United failed to score past their academy graduate Dean Henderson, with Erik ten Hag electing to leave Marcus Rashford on the bench; Andre Onana produced an incredible double save to rival David Raya to help his side avoid defeat at Selhurst Park
Sunday 22 September 2024 07:33, UK
Erik ten Hag said Manchester United "ate Crystal Palace alive" after Andre Onana and Dean Henderson's goalkeeping heroics kept their game at Selhurst Park goalless.
Onana denied Palace a second-half lead with an incredible double save to rival Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya, keeping out Eddie Nketiah and then substitute Ismaila Sarr, producing the pick of the saves when his opposite number finished with seven.
Had it not been for Henderson, United would have been out of sight by the break. The former Carrington graduate produced three big stops in the first half, before tipping over Alejandro Garnacho's curling effort at full stretch moments before Onana's double save.
Bruno Fernandes and Garnacho also struck the bar in quick succession in a first half that United dominated. Eberechi Eze should have punished their wastefulness, spurning two glorious chances either side of the break. Palace remain winless in the league as a result.
"When we don't win, I'm not content," Ten Hag told Sky Sports. "We should have won. I think first half, we ate them alive. Then in the second half it was more in the balance, but first half, we should have scored one or two goals."
Palace boss Oliver Glasner felt Lisandro Martinez should have been sent off for a stamp on the ball that narrowly missed Daichi Kamada's leg in the second half. "[Martinez] could have broken his leg," he said.
Ten Hag's decision to leave out Marcus Rashford, who made little impact off the bench, after scoring in back-to-back games will now, inevitably, be questioned as his side drop more points and remain in the bottom half of the table.
United defender Martinez rode his luck just past the hour, when he two-footed the top of the ball with a reckless, unnecessary challenge that Palace midfielder Kamada was lucky to avoid.
Martinez received a booking, but Palace felt strongly that he should have seen red, so much so that Henderson was yellow carded for his protestations.
Glasner was also surprised by the decision. "[Martinez] was fortunate that he touched the ball and not the shin of our player because he could have broken his leg."
"He's probably a bit lucky there," former United defender Phil Jones added in the Sky Sports studio.
"There's almost no need to go in with his two feet. And I think if he's a fraction out there, I think he's seen a different colour card."
Sky Sports pundit Jamie Redknapp added: "I don't know what on earth you're thinking you're going to gain by jumping in with two feet. On the edge of [their] box, you've got him in a nice position.
"If he lands on Kamada's foot, he goes down, it's a straight red."
Man Utd boss Erik ten Hag speaking to Sky Sports: "When we don't win, I'm not content. We should have won. I think first half, we ate them alive. Then in the second half it was more in the balance, but first half, we should have scored one or two goals.
"I don't think [our finishing let us down]. We had total control of the game. In and out of possession, I think we played very good. The only thing was in the box, that is where the game is always decided. We should be more clinical there."
On the goalkeepers, he added: "It was a brilliant save from Andre Onana twice in one action, it was really brilliant. That is very difficult for a goalie to be there in the moment you needed.
"Dean Henderson also played a very good game, how many balls he stopped. He was in a rhythm, but Andre has to wait and keep the focus and in the right moment, you have to be spot on and he did brilliant."
Ten Hag also sought to clarify his decision to bench Rashford after Redknapp questioned the decision, saying: "I am very happy with Marcus. It was just about rotation."
Crystal Palace boss Oliver Glasner speaking to Sky Sports: "In the first half Dean Henderson kept us alive and kept us in the game. At the end of the half we had the chance from Eberechi and then in the second half we were much, much better. In the first half we needed a great goalkeeper and fortunately we had one.
"In the second half we were more organised, we played with more courage and we had two great situations to win the game. In that second half it was more like a Crystal Palace team and that is what we need to be competitive against a team like Manchester United."
On the change in the second half, he added: "Everything [needed to change]. I have never seen my Crystal Palace team play like we did in the first half, with no energy, no confidence, both in and out of possession, in set-plays, etcetera.
"That shows again the spirit we have to make adjustments at half-time, switch to a 3-5-2 to close the centre, and then we controlled the game and had our chances in their box. Even when we won the ball we were more direct, played forward more in the second half."
Henderson produced a near-perfect performance against United, the club he joined early in his teens, producing a total of seven saves, three of which were outstanding.
The game likely would have been lost for Palace at half-time, if not for Henderson.
The 27-year-old said keeping out Matthijs de Ligt's header from a corner at point-blank range was his pick of the bunch. The stats would agree, that being ranked the biggest chance of the game with an xG of 0.4.
Henderson also produced two fine stops from Garnacho in either half, back peddling before diving to his left for the first, and tipping over at full stretch for the other.
These were Henderson's best moments in the game, but his overall performance was particularly impressive because of his consistency throughout.
"You have to concentrate so much and it is tiring when you have to do that for a whole half. They have so many threats, inverted wingers, Bruno dropping into the pocket and spinning in behind. It is difficult because you are constantly on your toes," he said.
"I am just delighted to get the clean sheet and happy for the defensive unit that we could get that because it is important for us to build on."
When Arne Slot explained how Liverpool tore United apart in a 3-0 win at Old Trafford earlier this month, he picked out one detail in particular. "Their full-backs are sometimes really high."
The outcome was the opposition wingers, in that case Mo Salah and Luis Diaz, would often find themselves in one vs one scenarios, while the holding midfielder, on that occasion Casemiro, was left stranded.
One small tweak from United's coaching staff at Palace went a long way to stopping that from happening. Diogo Dalot was told to invert and his presence in the midfield helped United to outnumber Palace.
"Dalot is coming inside as a No 6 almost and controlling the game from there," Phil Jones, a Premier League winner with United, said in the Sky Sports studio at half-time. "With Dalot coming inside they're creating overloads."
Palace were left flummoxed by the passing game of Dalot, Kobbie Mainoo and Christian Eriksen as United bossed the game and had control.
Some of that was relinquished after the changes, but United still finished the game with 66.8 per cent possession.
Old problems persist, however, with Ten Hag's side lacking the ruthless edge required to claim all three points, despite having enough chances in the first half alone to do so.
It has been a running theme this season, with just five goals scored after five league games despite having an xG of 9.53. Southampton are the only side underperforming in this metric by more.
Reports suggest United's ability to dominate games will be a key factor in INEOS' assessments of Ten Hag this season. There is undoubtedly progress going by this game, but results and goals must follow.
● Dean Henderson made seven saves against Manchester United; the most by a Crystal Palace goalkeeper in a Premier League match without conceding since Vicente Guaita v Newcastle in January 2023 (7).
● Crystal Palace haven't won any of their first five games in the Premier League this season (D3 L2), the fifth time they've failed to do so in a single campaign in the competition. The Eagles have been relegated on three of the previous four occasions when failing to win any of their first five (1992-93, 1994-95 and 2004-05).
● United have drawn 0-0 in a higher percentage of their games versus Crystal Palace than against any other opponent in the competition of teams they have faced more than 10 times (16% - 5/31).
● United have kept four clean sheets in their last six Premier League games, one more than they managed in their previous 24 matches beforehand (three between December 2023-May 2024).
● Bruno Fernandes has had more shots without scoring (17) than any other player across Europe's big five leagues in 2024-25, attempting a further four today without finding the net.
