In a remarkable display of resilience, Crystal Palace emerged victorious against Manchester United in a thrilling match at Old Trafford. This victory marks their third win in five Premier League visits to the iconic stadium.
The match began with both teams showcasing their attacking prowess. Marcus Rashford, playing for Manchester United, displayed promising skills and created several scoring opportunities. However, it was Marc Guéhi of Crystal Palace who had the first chance to score but unfortunately headed wide.
Manchester United quickly responded to Crystal Palace’s warning with Rasmus Højlund’s delicate finish, which was met with a superb goalline clearance by Tyrick Mitchell. Rashford also made an impressive run through the Palace box, but was ultimately unable to find the back of the net.
As the game progressed, Manchester United started to show signs of sloppiness, leading to a needless free-kick conceded. Eberechi Eze’s precise cross found Joachim Andersen, who scored a powerful goal. This marked Andersen’s first goal in a league campaign since his FC Twente days in 2016/17.
Before halftime, Casemiro came close to scoring for Manchester United with two attempts that narrowly missed the target. On the other end, Raphaël Varane made an excellent intervention to deny Jean-Philippe Mateta.
The second half saw an increase in intensity, with Sam Johnstone, Crystal Palace’s goalkeeper, making two impressive saves in quick succession. Bruno Fernandes and Rasmus Højlund’s shots were both denied by Johnstone’s acrobatic skills.
Crystal Palace also had their fair share of opportunities, with Will Hughes unleashing a powerful strike that was saved by Manchester United’s goalkeeper, André Onana. Jeffrey Schlupp’s header came close to increasing Palace’s lead, but narrowly missed the target.
Manchester United continued to apply pressure, with Mason Mount heading wide from Diogo Dalot’s cross. Alejandro Garnacho, who came off the bench, almost scored an equalizer, but Mitchell’s touch diverted the ball wide. Marc Guéhi also made a crucial block to deny Garnacho’s shot in the final minutes of the game.
This victory for Crystal Palace ends their three-game winless run in all competitions and sees them leapfrog Manchester United in the Premier League table. Prior to this match, Manchester United had not lost in 31 matches at Old Trafford.