Hello everyone. Welcome to our coverage of what could be a sticky enough fixture for Louis van Gaal’s side.
Palace have been immensely competitive so far this term and are a tough team to break down.
Will United’s struggling attack deliver this afternoon or will Alan Pardew pick up an impressive win?
As always, feel free to email (eoin@the42.ie), tweet, leave a Facebook message or a comment.
Let’s bring you the teams, shall we? Here’s how United will line-up.
For Palace, Damien Delaney starts in central defence while former United winger Wilfried Zaha is also included.
There is a fresh face on the United bench this afternoon – 17-year-old Axel Tuanzebe. He’s been included in the matchday squad for the very first time.
Last season, he was captain of the club’s Under-18 team and finished the campaign being crowned the Young Player of the Year.
Born in the Congo but raised in Rochdale, it’s clear that his ball-playing skills at centre- half appeal to the possession-obsessed Louis van Gaal.
Louis van Gaal has seemed to hint pre-game that Anthony Martial will, again, be asked to play out wide rather than through the middle.
As United’s biggest goal-threat, it seems ludicrous not to play the French youngster centrally.
AND WE’RE OFF!
CLOSE! United are smothered in their own area and cough up possession. The ball breaks for Dwight Gayle, who drives a low shot towards goal but it’s quite tame and straight at de Gea. Early warning for the guests though.
Bright start from Palace here – pushing United, closing them down quickly. It led to that Gayle chance at they cheaply surrender the ball again after good work from Bolasie in pressuring Darmian into an error. Luckily, de Gea is off his line quickly to thump it clear.
This time it’s Schweinsteiger who’s caught by the Palace energy and desire and, rather inevitably, there’s a lack of urgency and pace to United early on.
Free-kick for Palace in a dangerous position here after Juan Mata’s high leg. Cabaye to swing this in.
SO CLOSE! Incredible sequence here. From the free-kick, Scott Dann chests down for Bolasie who smacks a thunderous shot towards goal that smacks the bar. Moments later, Smalling mis-kicks and almost puts through his own net before the corner leads to de Gea pushing a header over the bar. On the replay of the Bolasie strike, de Gea gets his fingertips to it – what a brilliant piece of goalkeeping.
United are all over the place here. Palace have taken the game to them from the off and they should be in front. I don’t think Rooney has touched the ball yet.
A shake of the head from Louis van Gaal on the bench. They haven’t even got started here and seem overwhelmed by the Palace approach.
BOOKING! That’s silly from Cabaye. Schweinsteiger – hardly the quickest – heads down the left and the Frenchman dives in to make a reckless challenge, stretching to bring the ex-Bayern man down. That’s an early yellow for a key Palace player.
Ander Herrera has gestured to his team-mates, encouraging them to calm down, get their foot on the ball and keep composed. And that’s what they’ve done over the last few minutes. Better possession from them.
Central free-kick for United on the edge of the box here, as Mata is taken down by Scott Dann. They’ve been solid in the last few minutes and weathered that ferocious Palace storm from earlier. Good chance here.
CLOSE! It’s a careful hit from Rooney, who seems pre-occupied with just getting the ball over the wall and doesn’t put much pace on it. It’s a nice height for Hennessey, who dives across and catches in his two hands.
BOOKING! Martial slips past Martin Kelly down the left side and it’s a lazy foul from the full-back. It’s not malicious and a tame yellow card to pick up, really.
That was beautiful from Mata who pops up in the middle, takes on a pass at pace, gets turned and pushes the ball through MacArthur’s legs. Rooney makes a run but the pass isn’t on par with the skill which preceded it.
VERY CLOSE! Martial drops deep, has a look up and plays through an excellent ball for Rooney to run onto. He seems to be in control but Hennessey is off his line very quickly. Still, the striker steadies himself and stabs towards goal. It’s not a great effort but the keeper does do very well to block.
Seems to be something brewing between compatriots Cabaye and Schneiderlin – the former is already on a booking so he needs to be careful.
CLOSE! Lovely stuff from Cabaye, who takes the ball down brilliantly as he evades Schneiderlin before slipping it through for Gayle. But, like what happened inside the first few minutes, his shot lacks conviction and it’s easy for de Gea. Some decent chances here for Palace.
Mata has grown into this game and by slipping inside, Palace are finding it hard to quell his influence. He plays a lofted pass over the top for Martial – it’s clever and the Frenchman is just about to run onto it. But a despairing header from a Palace defender puts it out for a corner.
Palace have a problem on their right side. Kelly is on a yellow card and he’s really up against it facing Martial. He brings him down again and United are awarded a free-kick that comes to nothing. But it’s something to exploit as the game goes on.
CLOSE! Oh, Ander Herrera! That was a great chance. Mata is involved again, racing towards the area after Rooney changes direction of attack with a clever back-heel. It’s played to Martial in the left channel, he gets his head up, plays it across the six-yard area for Herrera who essentially mis-kicks and shanks wide.
AND THAT’S HALF-TIME!
In fairness, Rooney has been a lot better today compared to some of his other performances this season. But that slow, cumbersome run onto Martial’s through-ball could prove a defining moment. It’s just not as explosive as before. And when he’s leading the line, trying to make runs in behind, he needs pace.
AND WE’RE BACK!
Bizarre moment from Darmian early on in the half as he kicks a ball straight out of play as he attempts to give a simple pass.
BOOKING! Smalling gets done by Gayle down the left side and cynically pulls back the attacker as he races clear. Certain yellow for the centre-back.
There’s a positional change for Palace and it’s what we touched on earlier. Kelly was struggling with Martial so he’s swapped over to the left side of defence now.
Herrera catches Cabaye with a challenge and the Spaniard isn’t happy with the Palace midfielder’s reaction. There’s a bit of pushing and shoving but the United midfielder escapes without a booking. He probably deserved one too – stepping on Cabaye’s toes as he dribbled past.
BOOKING! Darmian has struggled here. He’s been a bit all over the place and after initially impressing with performances, he’s had some problems in recent weeks. He gets a yellow after dragging down Zaha.
We’ve followed a similar pattern to the first half – Palace have been industrious while United have been sluggish. But, as they knock some passes together, they’ll inevitably create some more chances.
Rather turgid stuff so far. United need to get Mata on the ball, as they did in the opening period. He holds the key to unlocking the Palace defence.
Palace knocking on the door again as Bolasie does really well in the right channel but there’s no support in the middle for him as Gayle hangs back on the edge of the area. The cross is whipped in and Darmian outs it out for a corner.
SUBSTITUTION! Young (on) – Darmian (off)
The Italian has been struggling to contain the offensive charms of Wilfried Zaha so he makes way. It means a re-shuffle for United here.
Young has gone straight into right-back, and faces up to Zaha. He’s van Gaal’s Dirk Kuyt – a flexible and willing player who will put a shift in wherever it’s required.
SUBSTITUTION! Fellaini (on) – Schweinsteiger (off)
United’s second change and it’s largely inevitable. The towering figure of the Belgian gives Palace something fresh to worry about and it looks like Martial has pushed up top now.
SO CLOSE! It’s a lovely build-up from Palace down the right and when Ward clips in a super little cross, there’s Cabaye – all alone – who looks to turn it to the net. But it rolls agonisingly wide of the far post and United get away with it. Just about.
Herrera takes a dive in the area as Delaney nips in to challenge. The commanding centre-half is not happy at all and instantly starts jabbing a finger at the Spaniard.
CLOSE! It’s all Palace again. Firstly, as a corner is floated in, Fellaini doesn’t bother to jump and Dann’s header loops wide of the upright with Delanaey stretching to apply a finishing touch right on the post. Moments later, on a counter attack, there’s a low shot fizzed towards de Gea’s near post and the keeper sticks out a leg to block.
SUBSTITUTION! Lingard (on) – Mata (off)
A strange afternoon for Mata. He was excellent in the first-half and central to United creating some chances. But he’s been anonymous in the second period and makes way for some more energy and youthful exuberance in the United attack.
BOOKING! Gayle brings down Young as he scampers away towards the area and this is a great position for a free-kick here.
SUBSTITUTION! Jedinak (on) – Cabaye (off)
The Frenchman gingerly makes his way off. He had a great chance in the second half and probably knows it too.
Jedinak has always been such an under-rated player. Fantastic for Palace to be able to spring a player of his calibre from the bench, just as they want to firm up the midfield. Steel, determination, physicality.
Rojo goes down after being hit by Bolasie’s flailing arm. It’s a free-kick to Palace after all of this though and the game is just ebbing towards a scoreless draw – yet another one for United.
That was a half-chance for United as Rooney cuts inside and floats a deep cross to the far post where Lingard arrives. He nods it back across goal and Martial turns and thumps a shot towards goal but there’s a massive block in there – probably from Delaney – and Palace get it clear.
SO CLOSE! From the Palace corner, Bolasie and Dann are both in there. One of them gets a header in towards goal and it just about misses the crossbar. United hanging on.
BOOKING! This game has been riddled with yellow cards and Marcos Rojo is the latest to pick one up.
AND THAT’S FULL-TIME!
Well, that was pretty putrid from Manchester United. Palace are a solid if unspectacular side and van Gaal’s side were hanging on at Selhurst Park.
Palace created plenty of chances – de Gea brilliantly tipped Bolasie’s thunderous strike onto the bar in the first half, Dwight Gayle had a couple of decent opportunities while Yohan Cabaye agonisingly rolled a close-range effort wide of the post in the second period.
For United, Rooney went close and that was it.
After the break in particular, they were very poor and their levels dropped dramatically. A third straight scoreless draw for United now. In their last four games, they’ve scored just once.
And if van Gaal was out to dispel the criticism handed out by Paul Scholes earlier this week about United being a boring side, his charges failed miserably.
Thanks for staying with us and there will be plenty more coverage across the site throughout the evening.
