Manchester United moved up to third place with a hard-fought victory over Crystal Palace. Former Wolfsburg player Maxence Lacroix experienced a rollercoaster of emotions in the process.
Palace got off to an excellent start at Old Trafford, taking the lead in the 4th minute. After a rather weak corner to the far post, Lacroix headed the ball so accurately toward the goal that it curved around the post and over the line—the former Wolfsburg player couldn’t have placed the ball any better.
Manchester United, who started with Sesko in place of Amad (bench) compared to the 1-0 win at Everton, were completely absent in the minutes that followed, with the visitors from London having 60 percent possession after a quarter of an hour. Only then did the Red Devils pull themselves together and finally record their first chance in the 32nd minute. After a corner, Maguire headed towards goal, but Sarr cleared off the line with a ricochet, causing more danger than would have been the case otherwise. The attempt would have been an easy save for keeper Henderson.
Shortly before the break, Carrick’s team came much closer to equalizing. First, Henderson tipped a superbly struck free kick from Bruno Fernandes over the bar with his fingertips (43′), and a few seconds later, Casemiro headed just wide of the goal after a free kick cross from Bruno Fernandes.
ManUnited remained on the front foot after the break and had a few half-chances before, in the 53rd minute, Lacroix, of all people, made a serious mistake. The defender held Matheus Cunha by the shoulder at the edge of the box in a running duel. After reviewing the VAR footage, referee Kavanagh not only awarded a penalty, but also gave Lacroix a red card for a professional foul. Bruno Fernandes did not miss the opportunity and confidently converted to make it 1-1 (57′).
Sesko’s powerful header – Casemiro misses a huge chance
The Red Devils were now finally on a roll and quickly added to their lead against the stunned Londoners. The powerful Bruno Fernandes crossed from the right half of the field into the middle, Sesko rose high and headed the ball powerfully and spectacularly into the net to make it 2-1 (65′). In the 75th minute, Casemiro should have sealed the deal, but with no one marking him, he shot at Henderson from five meters out – a huge chance for the Brazilian.
Even though Palace hardly showed up on offense, the game remained exciting until the final stages. But Glasner’s team, down to ten men, lacked the means to put ManUnited under pressure again – keeper Lammens did not have to make a single serious save until the final whistle. After eight minutes of added time, the slight jitters for the overly passive Red Devils came to an end and their jump to third place was finally confirmed.
On Wednesday (9:15 p.m.), Manchester United will look to extend their seven-game unbeaten run at Newcastle. Crystal Palace face Tottenham Hotspur on Thursday (9 p.m.).