1. Manchester United badly needed this international break
Due to a lot of injuries at the back, United boss Louis van Gaal was forced to start with winger Antonio Valencia at right-back and a centre-back partnership comprising 19-year-old Paddy McNair, who has very few senior appearances, and holding midfielder Daley Blind.
It was hardly surprising to note that Palace easily had the best chance in the opening half when McNair and Blind failed to deal with a simple long ball, allowing Fraizer Campbell a clear chance on goal.
Van Gaal’s defence, which completed the game with Michael Carrick in it, may have kept a clean sheet but United will be glad to have two weeks to get a couple of established defenders fit before they visit Arsenal.
2. Palace showed United too much respect
Neil Warnock deserves a lot of credit for his approach in this game as the Eagles contained United while posing real problems on the other end. They could have caused United’s makeshift defence more problems if they had frequently committed their wide midfielders, Yannick Bolasie and Jason Puncheon, when they attacked.
Campbell and Marouane Chamakh won most of the aerial duels from the long balls directed to them, but Bolasie and Puncheon were too deep to push on and backup those attacks, so a lot of them just fizzled out.
3. Angel Di Maria’s dip in form has affected United’s pace in possession
There is no doubt that Di Maria’s form has dipped from the time he came to England; his successful dribbles are significantly lower, his goal return has dropped and most importantly his crossing accuracy is lower as well.
Since he was previously at the heart of United’s exhilarating attacks, they have suffered as a consequence of his diminished impact. They had more than 75 per cent possession in the first-half but that barely counted for anything as they did not move the ball with enough speed to open up Palace.
4. Wilfried Zaha now has a rare opportunity to reignite his career
Zaha left Palace as one of the best wingers in England after playing a key role in helping the Eagles return to the top flight division. After he regressed at United, he returned to a Palace side that had top performing wide midfielders in Bolasie and Puncheon, so could not secure a regular spot until recently.
Zaha started the last two games for Palace after Puncheon’s form dropped and while United’s on-loan winger could not face his parent club in this encounter, Puncheon was disappointing again so Zaha should be restored to the Eagles’ starting XI in their next games.
That will be a great opportunity for Zaha to impress Warnock and stay in the side long enough to prove his quality to Van Gaal. McNair, Adnan Januzaj, Taylor Blackett and James Wilson’s participation for United this season proves Van Gaal’s faith in young players with potential so Zaha needs to show his potential by seizing the chance Palace are currently affording him.
5. Michael Carrick is still the best defensive midfielder for Manchester United
Carrick was arguably the best player for United in this game with the way he dictated play in central midfield and his passing range, yet this was his first start this season.
Daley Blind performed well when Carrick was sidelined but the England midfielder should reclaim his place in the side as the first choice holding midfielder. He proved again that he offers a lot both defensively and offensively in that withdrawn role.
