They took a roundabout way there, but Manchester United have all but secured a top-four place with a victory over Crystal Palace on Saturday. Alan Pardew’s side pushed the Red Devils hard for 90 minutes, but finishing and goalkeeper quality turned out to be the difference in United’s 2-1 win.
3 things we learned from Manchester United’s narrow 2-1 victory over Crystal Palace
United’s heroes were the same guys who have been bailing them out all season.
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Julian Speroni, though he was outdueled, did have his moments. He came up with a spectacular save just eight minutes into the game, denying Daley Blind on an excellent shot from outside the box.
United took the lead on a bit of a questionable call in the 18th minute, when Scott Dann was penalized for a handball. He blocked a cross by Ashley Young with his upper arm or shoulder, and in the judgement of the referee, it was much more the former than the latter. Juan Mata stepped up and converted from the penalty spot.
Injuries hurt the visitors before the break, with Luke Shaw and Wayne Rooney picking up knocks. They were replaced by Jonny Evans and Radamel Falcao ahead of the second half.
Palace were playing well, but didn't look a whole lot like scoring until the 57th minute, when Jason Puncheon scored a surprise equalizer. He hit a free kick that took a slight deflection, and that was enough to throw off David de Gea, who couldn't stop the ball from hitting the back of the net.
That would be Palace's only goal, and unluckily so. De Gea came up huge in the 71st minute with a brilliant point-blank kick-save on Glenn Murray. Seven minutes after that, United had their winner, nodded in by Marouane Fellaini on a cross by Young. Speroni badly misjudged the cross, and Fellaini was virtually uncontested on his header.
Murray nearly equalized from close range again in the 85th minute, but de Gea made yet another spectacular stop to keep his team in front.
Crystal Palace: Speroli, Souare, Delaney, Dann, Ward, Jedinak (Lee 84'), McArthur, Ledley (Puncheon 46'), Bolasie, Murray, Zaha (Chamakh 84')
Goals: Puncheon (57’)
Manchester United: de Gea, Shaw (Evans 40'), Jones, Smalling (McNair 84'), Valencia, Young, Blind, Herrera, Mata, Fellaini, Rooney (Falcao 46')
Goals: Mata (penalty 19’), Fellaini (78’)
3 things
1. Ashley Young isn’t giving up his place yet. Memphis Depay is heading to Manchester United for £25 million, and he’s not going to walk right into the starting left winger position. Young has been arguably United’s best player this season, and he recorded the winning assist on Saturday. There might not be a more undroppable player in the side. This will never stop being amazing.
2. Palace look like a future top-half team. Between their rock solid midfield, Wilfried Zaha gaining confidence and Murray getting healthy, Crystal Palace don't look like relegation fodder anymore. Some combination of Pardew's management and their talent has them playing on a level above the teams battling at the bottom, and they could be solidly top half next season with a few shrewd signings.
3. United still aren't that good. While this win likely means the job is done for United and they'll finish top four, they were pretty poor again, with Young and de Gea bailing them out for seemingly the 15th time this season. They're fortunate Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur and Southampton have had their various problems. They could have been picked off by a good lower-budget team.
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