Everything Manchester United did RIGHT in their goalless draw against Crystal Palace
Despite a dominant first half, managing to create several chances throughout the 90 minutes, Manchester United were held to a 0-0 draw by Oliver Glasner’s men in an action-packed affair. Here are the key takeaways from the game:
Everything Manchester United did right in their win against Barnsley
- Andre Onana will win Manchester United valuable points this season: Although the man of the match award was given to the opposition keeper Dean Henderson, Andre Onana's heroic double save denying Eddie Nketiah, and then Ismaila Sarr from point-blank range was undoubtedly a key point in the game. We saw something similar from the Ghanain shot-stopper in the Premier League game against Southampton, where he saved a first-half penalty by Cameron Archer, eventually helping the Red Devils win the game 3-0. Since his arrival, Onana has been on the end of widespread criticism for his decision-making and inconsistent shot-stopping, especially throughout most of last season. This season has so far told a different story, as his important saves have already won United needed points and he doesn’t look like slowing down anytime soon.
- Matthijs De Ligt has brought a sense of calmness to the United back line: After yet another impressive performance at the heart of the United defense, guiding the side to their second consecutive clean sheet and their third of the Premier League season so far, a lot of fans are beginning to notice just how much of a difference the Dutchman has made to their leaky defense this season. De Ligt has been imperative so far, consistently imposing himself on the opposition attackers and already forming what looks set to blossom into a formidable partnership with Lisandro Martinez. According to SofaScore, De Ligt wasn’t dribbled past all game against Crystal Palace, impressively maintaining a 94% pass accuracy rate on the night. The former Ajax captain will be a big part of anything good that manages to come from the red side of Manchester this season, and United fans are seemingly already falling in love with his composure and reliability.
- The Clean Sheet: United missed a lot of big chances in the game (five big chances missed) with a good chunk of those chances coming from the effective and suffocating pressure put on Palace most of the game. However, despite the team's wastefulness, it would be hard to ignore how impressive the defensive performances have been so far this season. The clean sheet earned on Saturday made it three on the bounce for the Red Devils, and fans will be hoping the club can build from these impressive displays.
United have two reliable fullbacks in Dalot and Mazraoui. An earlier post highlighted the space between the defence and midfield that would be a key area United would need to control in their game against Palace. They did so diligently, with the two fullbacks inverting where necessary. Most notably, Diogo Dalot's heatmap evidenced how often he encroached into central positions during the game to aid build-up and nullify counterattacks. The Portuguese right-back was creative, contributing 3 key passes against the Londoners (according to SofaScore), including that eye-of-the-needle pass to Alejandro Garnacho who was denied by the post. Noussair Mazraoui was faultless all game, showing defensive resilience, decisiveness, and composure on the ball, which impressed fans with his performance.
Red Devils Armada’s Man of the Match: Our choice for Man of the Match and who impressed the most against Crystal Palace is Dalot. The United full-back was one of the best players on the pitch all game. He maintained a pass accuracy rate of 91% and won 80% of his ground duels (⅘) and 50% of his aerial duels (2/4). He continues his good form this season and looks at home at left-back despite being right-footed.
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