March 6 2018

Patrick van Aanholt

Manchester United's injury-time winner crushed Crystal Palace hearts in a five-goal thriller at Selhurst. Mike Scott looks at how the players performed…

United remain the only top-six side Palace have failed to beat in the Premier League era after the most sickening defeat perhaps since the 5-4 defeat to Swansea. A patched-up Eagles side put in a spirited and resolute performance but were eventually undone by a late resurgence from United...

Wayne Hennessey - 6

Hennesey began the game with an excellent one-on-one stop to deny Alexis Sanchez from point-blank range, making himself big and blocking the ball with his outstretched arms. But United exploited his weaknesses with crosses and corners, unnerving the Welshman.

Midway through the first half he let a routine cross from Paul Pogba go straight through his hands and, early on in the second half, he nearly let Chris Smalling head in from three yards after flapping and missing. Luckily his radar was off and he headed the ball wide.

For the goals, there was little he could do, with the winner simply being an absolutely perfect shot. His clearances were menacing and he looked like he had plenty of the time on the ball when Palace did play out from the back. Clearly he is being coached to be more proactive, it is simply his claiming skills that are causing his problems.

Aaron Wan-Bissaka - 9

You’d be hard pressed to offer a debutant two tougher games than Spurs and United, but again Wan-Bissaka put in a quality performance, with a shift you’d expect from a seasoned full back. Early on, he dealt with Alexis Sanchez well, ensuring the Chilean’s mood was affected from the start. He kept quiet Ashley Young quiet and, in the second half, was excellent in dealing with a rampant Marcus Rashford, including a sliding, last-man penalty box tackle that was timed to perfection.

He got forward too, linking up well again with Townsend and playing on the overlap. As the game progressed, he got some crosses in, including a cross-shot that had David De Gea tipping it over the bar. It’s hard to see how Joel Ward will walk back into the side after these two initial performances from the 20-year-old.

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Martin Kelly - 7

A welcome return for Kelly slightly eased Hodgson’s defensive injury crisis and the defence (on the whole) looked more compact and assured than against Tottenham last Sunday. Kelly had a tough evening, particularly with Jesse Lingard making a lot of movement in the middle, but he did well against the England international. He was guilty of ball watching for the first United goal, but did little else wrong. Towards the end of the game, with the away side rampant, he did everything he could.

James Tomkins - 7

After the cramp injury scare that saw him limp off at the end of the Spurs game, it was good to see Tomkins back and he had another solid performance. An uncharacteristic overhead kick almost saw him on the scoresheet early on. Like Kelly, his last half an hour or so was a relentless, backs-to-the-wall clearances job and he did everything he could.

He was guilty of playing Chris Smalling and Paul Pogba onside for the United opener, with the rest of his backline moving up a few yards ahead of him. He did enough a few minutes before that, however, to put Smalling off a header from inside the six yard box following Hennessey failing to claim the ball from a corner. For the second and third goals, it was merely great finishing; he did everything he could.

Patrick van Aanholt - 8

Van Aanholt had one of his most influential games of the season. He had a tough time of it stopping Lingard, who was in a buoyant mood, but he kept him down to scraps and a dragged shot from outside of the box. He kept Romelu Lukaku quiet too, including a body check in the first half then prevented the Belgian getting a shot off. Which is no mean feat considering he must be half his size.

Going forward, he relished having Schlupp back in front of him. They seem to have a really strong understanding, which was shown in the quick thinking that led to Palace’s second goal, an excellent finish from the Dutchman. He got in some useful crosses too, including one right on Benteke’s head that just didn’t have the pace to help the frontman direct it in.

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Luka Milivojevic - 8

An impeccable early game performance from Palace was underpinned by the disciplined central positioning of the midfield and defence, marshalled by Milivojevic. At times playing just a few yards in front of the defence, him and McArthur denied Romelu Lukaku and Paul Pogba any space to work in.

His passing was strong too. Earlier in the season, some sloppy passes often undermined the Serbian’s performances, but the Eagles’ quick movement in the middle was the reason they had so much success in the early part of the game. He’ll be bitterly disappointed he couldn’t help see the game out.

James McArthur - 7

Palace’s quick, frenetic play in the first half suited McArthur and he was influential in ensuring United were only given space in the wide areas to work. Until Marcus Rashford came on, they did not seem to have enough quality to take advantage of those areas, so the game plan worked well. As the game progressed, Palace were pushed a few yards further back and the Scotsman lost a bit of his influence in the middle of the field, but his distraught face at the final whistle shows how much the result hurt him. He gave just about everything.

Jeffrey Schlupp - 8

Schlupp’s first game back from injury saw him play left midfield rather than slotting back in at left back and he did well as Zaha’s makeshift replacement. It was his quick thinking that led to Palace’s second, but before that it was his persistence in the middle of the pitch that saw the home side capitalise on some wayward early United passing and slow build up play, with Schlupp gaining many interceptions and starting breaks.

He was the outlet between the rest of the side and Sorloth and Benteke, ensuring there wasn’t the disconnect between midfield and attack that there has seemed to be at times in the last couple of games. He covered Van Aanholt well too when the Dutchman got forward.

Schlupp had been out for a while, so was subbed for Jairo Riedewald (7) for the last quarter of an hour, who slotted in to form a central three in the middle of the park. By then, the game was one way traffic, but he looked sharp again.

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Andros Townsend - 8

Whereas Spurs seemed to have Townsend’s movements worked out, United had real troubles dealing with him, especially his link-up play with Wan-Bissaka and (occasionally) Sorloth. A few times, they were some lovely one-twos and triangular movements that sent Townsend off past Ashley Young. His finish for his goal was excellent, and his crossing was more regular and threatening than it has been in recent games.

His defensive shift was strong again, covering Wan-Bissaka and making some later clearances that kept Palace in the game.

Alexander Sorloth - 7

Starting more centrally for this one, Sorloth looked more at home and early on a long ball from Milivojevic to Benteke, who knocked it down to Sorloth showed what can happen with the two big men up front. His sheer strength worked well with Schlupp’s relentless pursuit of loose balls and the two of them caused a lot of issues for the away side in the first half.

As the game progressed and Palace played further back, he was didn’t get perhaps the chances he would have hoped for. A shot at the keeper came about from his own hard work than a ball in for him. If he continues playing like this though, he’ll soon be a firm Selhurst favourite and the goals look like they will come.

Christian Benteke - 8

It was as though all the criticism of Benteke had suddenly been taken to heart, because not even the most hardened critic of the Belgian could deny he put in his hardest shift of the season so far. Arguably he was Palace’s most important defender for set pieces, including clearing one off the line and heading countless balls out.

The other end, he seemed resurgent with Sorloth alongside him. It was his hold up play that led to Townsend’s goal. He was in the right place to get his head on crosses from Van Aanholt and Townsend in the second half, but was denied by a wonderful David De Gea stop for one and simply couldn’t convert a slow, looping ball for the other.

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