Crystal Palace 1-2 Manchester United – Player Ratings
Manchester United were back to winning ways as the Red Devils clinched a narrow victory at Selhurst Park against Crystal Palace.
United took the lead through Juan Mata scoring from the spot before Crystal Palace came back in the second half as Jason Puncheon scored a deflected free-kick. Ultimately however it was United who had the last laugh as Maraoune Fellaini scored a header from Ashley Young’s cross with 12 minutes to go to secure all three points.
With this win United are almost guaranteed a place in Top 4 as they create a gap of seven points ahead fifth placed Liverpool, who now know they must win their three remaining games to stand any chance of pipping van Gaal’s men to the Champions League.
After the win, van Gaal praised his sides character, singling out De Gea and Young for praise for their performances. We take a look at the team and see how they fared on the day in one of the toughest games of the season.
David De Gea (9/10)
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The Spaniard delivered again as he has done numerous times this season. Made many crucial saves including a shot from Glenn Murray from close range in second half. He was unfortunately denied a well deserved clean sheet thanks to another deflected free-kick but the keeper showed exactly why he’s worth the £200K p/w contract the club have reportedly offered him.
Luke Shaw (6/10)
The left back returned to the starting line-up after recovering from a groin injury and was defensively good against Yannick Bolasie, although he struggled to contribute in attack. Unfortunately the 19 year-old’s injury curse struck again as he was stretchered off with a facial injury after 40 minutes.
Phil Jones (7/10)
The Englishman went straight back into line-up after missing out the last three matches due to injury. He was confident on the ball and was solid defensively against Murray. Slotted in well at the left back position after the departure of Luke Shaw and contributed well defensively but was less effective going forward after his positional change.
Chris Smalling (6/10)
The centre back overall had an average game. He was comfortable while playing the ball from the back but defensively he was given a tough time by Murray as Palace piled on the pressure in the second half. Was often stretched out of position on the right side of the defence as Valencia was caught in the attack. He gave away the free-kick which led to the goal before being substituted late on with cramp.
Antonio Valencia ( 6/10)
The Ecuadorian fared better than his last two disappointing performances. He was initially troubled by Wilfried Zaha as the latter always got better of Valencia with his tricks but as the game went on Valencia improved defensively and in second half he kept an eye on Bolasie .He also contributed well in the attack by linking up well with Mata but was caught out of position on a fair few occasions.
Daley Blind (6/10)
He was restored to the midfield again and he did a fair job of shielding the defence. He kept the play ticking for United in the midfield with neat passes and struck the post in the first half with a fine low drive. Found himself overrun in the midfield in the later periods of the game when Palace were atttacking continuously and was also at the fault for the goal when he deflected the free-kick into the net while not being brave enough to get in the way.
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Ander Herrera (7/10)
With tidy passes forward he ran the midfield for United once again. Played some neat one-twos with Juan Mata to create chances for United in attack and almost sealed the three points late on when he had a brilliant volley saved by Speroni after a one-two with Falcao. Overall a decent performance by the Spaniard.
Marouane Fellaini (7/10)
The big Belgian was the hero once again this season as his seventh goal of the season effectively secured Champions League football for next season. He was a constant thorn in the Palace defence but he struggled for large portions as the home side’s pace caught him out. He did the job he was on the pitch to do though and will certainly be a big part of Louis van Gaal’s plans for next season.
Juan Mata (7/10)
Mata delivered not a brilliant but an effective performance for Manchester United. He took the penalty calmly with a low drive in the bottom corner.He was more effective centrally as he tried to unlock Palace’s defence.He came closed to scoring when Ashley Young squared to him in the second half but he blazed over. Could have conceded a penalty but once again showed he is an asset to Louis van Gaal’s side.
Ashley Young (9/10)
Another brilliant game for the England winger. He was a menacing presence from the left wing and troubled Joel Ward with his pace and trickery throughout the 90 minutes. He won the penalty when his cross was handled by Scott Dann and assisted the second with a deep cross to Marouane Fellaini. Defensively he was good as he won the most tackles on the pitch and showed that he deserves his new contract.
Wayne Rooney (6/10)
The captain had an average game. He came close to scoring when his shot was blocked by Delaney in the first half but that was his only real action. Picked up a dead leg mid-way through the first half but battled on until half-time when he was replaced by Radamel Falcao.
Substitutes:
Jonny Evans (5/10)
A lacklustre performance by the defender. He was awful while defending and lost the ball in crucial positions and never looked comfortable on the ball. Would be no surprise to anyone if that ended up being his final appearance in a Red shirt.
Radamel Falcao (7/10)
The Colombian had a decent game as he worked hard defensively. He made some intelligent runs but his team-mates were not able to find him and could have grabbed an assist as he beautifully laid the ball for Herrera in second half to volley at Speroni. Had a hand in the winning goal too as his run created the space for Fellaini at the back-post but still yet to make a real impact during his short Old Trafford career.
Paddy McNair (N/A)
Replaced injured Smalling in the final few minutes to see out the game but was well beaten by Glenn Murray on one occasion, with David De Gea forced to save with his feet.