Uninspiring Man United get a D in our report card as Palace hold them to a draw

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  • Another uninspiring display from Manchester United saw them held to a 0-0 draw at home to Crystal Palace in the Premier League.

    Jose Mourinho’s side were again guilty of lacking creativity in attack despite enjoying the lion’s share of possession as it was the away side who conjured the best chances in the encounter.

    Both sides had goals ruled out for offside while the visitors squandered a couple of gilt-edged chances to secure all three points.

    Romelu Lukaku came closest for the home team with a header in the closing stages which was saved well by Wayne Hennessey.

    Here is our report card from Old Trafford.

    THE GOOD

    Fortune favours the boring – It really is a wonder that United managed to register a point they barely deserved. They lacked ingenuity going forward and were often easily bypassed in midfield. They rarely compromise on their deep defensive line though and that’s perhaps the only reason they weren’t carved open more often on the counter. So at least there’s that.

    Set-up – Defending against United isn’t rocket science. Keep your shape, hold a deep line and they can’t hurt you. Even so, credit where it’s due. Palace maintained their concentration and came away from Old Trafford with a valuable point. Not just that, they also managed to pose a significant attacking threat on the counter and even had the better chances.

    Palace coped with United's attacks.

    Palace coped with United’s attacks.

    THE BAD

    Chance creation – Every week you think United surely can’t be as disjointed as they were last time… and then they are. The hosts enjoyed plenty of possession, especially in the first half but their off-the-ball movement was nonexistent. The lack of cohesion between the players is embarrassing. They consistently relied on crosses into the box for chances and even then, the delivery was largely disappointing.

    Finishing touch – Palace held firm and with Zaha and Townsend up front, they were set up well for the counter but couldn’t quite apply the finishing touch. Patrick van Aanholt missed a glorious chance on the break in the first half and Townsend repeated the feat in the second. There were other occasions as well when the visitors could’ve stolen in but the final ball was lacking.

    United struggled to create chances.

    United struggled to create chances.

    TACTICAL TURNING POINT

    Mourinho’s substitutions

    Hooking Paul Pogba with over 20 minutes to play says a lot about the Frenchman’s performance. Alexis Sanchez replaced him while Juan Mata made way for Marouane Fellaini as United switched to a 4-2-3-1 with the Chilean supporting Lukaku. However, it was more of a 4-1-4-1 which may have done Palace more good than United.

    Nemanja Matic was isolated in midfield as the Reds tried to flood numbers forward for aerial assaults. There was no attempt to work the ball and drag defenders out of position or at least move the defensive about to create spaces to attack.

    Sanchez managed to drop into pockets in the final third but that was largely in wide areas and his crosses were dealt with. If anything, it just left the hosts more vulnerable to the counter but Palace weren’t precise enough with their moves and failed to take advantage.

    Alexis Sanchez replaced Paul Pogba.

    Alexis Sanchez replaced Paul Pogba.

    GRADES

    Manchester United = D

    Mourinho can blame players’ mentalities and moan about the lack of transfer activity all he wants but performances like this just make him look inadequate. With the talent at his disposal, how he’s failed to put a relatively functional side on the pitch this season boggles the mind. Not good enough.

    Crystal Palace = B+

    A fine result for Roy Hodgson’s troops but they will know it could’ve been even better. They played well and as a unit but lacked a killer instinct to go out and claim the three points which were so clearly on offer against a poor United side.

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