Man United vs Crystal Palace result, highlights and analysis as Rashford goal proves enough after Casemiro red

Joe Wright

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Man United vs Crystal Palace result, highlights and analysis as Rashford goal proves enough after Casemiro red image

OLD TRAFFORD, MANCHESTER — Manchester United battled to a 13th consecutive home win in all competitions as they beat Crystal Palace 2-1.

The Red Devils appeared to be easing to victory after Bruno Fernandes and Marcus Rashford scored in each half to give them a comfortable lead.

However, after Casemiro was shown a straight red card for violent conduct, Jeffrey Schlupp's instinctive finish got the visitors back in the contest and made for a nervy final quarter of the game at Old Trafford.

Erik ten Hag's men showed good game management to get through more than eight minutes of added time and claim what could prove to be three valuable points.

MORE: Watch every Premier League match live with fuboTV in Canada

Man United vs Crystal Palace score

  1H 2H Final
Man United 1 2 2
Crystal Palace 0 1 1

Goals:
MAN UNITED — Bruno Fernandes (pen) — 7th min

MAN UNITED — Marcus Rashford — 62nd min

CRYSTAL PALACE — Jeffrey Schlupp — 76th min

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Fernandes converted in style from the spot after only seven minutes after a VAR check saw Will Hughes punished for blocking Rashford's cross with his hand.

United controlled the possession but chances were at a premium against a disciplined Palace defence, who snatched a 1-1 draw in the reverse fixture thanks to a brilliant late free-kick from Michael Olise.

Ten Hag made a change in the second half, moving Rashford down the middle as Alejandro Garnacho replaced Wout Weghorst, and the tweak paid off as the teenager was involved in a fine passing sequence that ended with Rashford prodding home Luke Shaw's cross.

Having had the game under their command, United suddenly handed Palace a lifeline — almost literally — as Casemiro was shown red following a lengthy VAR review. The midfielder was dismissed after putting his hands around the neck of Hughes to keep him away from a melee that was sparked when Schlupp fouled Antony.

Six minutes later, it was Schlupp's first-time finish in a crowded penalty area that eluded David de Gea and gave Palace a chance of getting another late draw.

However, United showed determination and nous to stop Palace from creating openings, with debutant Marcel Sabitzer putting in a good shift off the bench, as they navigated nearly 10 minutes of additional time to claim maximum points.

What games will Casemiro miss?

Casemiro's red card was a strange one, coming as it did in the middle of a shoving match between several players, many of whom had hands raised.

It took a long time for VAR to pin down the moment in question, when United's midfielder put his hands around the throat of Hughes to the side of the main fracas. It was not in itself an aggressive gesture — Hughes, in fact, made little of it at the time — but it was judged by the officials to meet the criteria of violent conduct. Casemiro himself was nonplussed as referee Andre Marriner brandished the card.

Assuming United do not appeal successfully, Casemiro will now be suspended for two league matches against Leeds United, and one against Leicester City. He will be available again for the Carabao Cup final against Newcastle United on February 26, and he'll also be free to face Barcelona in the Europa League.

Pyrrhic victory for Man United?

United fought desperately hard to get over the line today. Fred and Fernandes dropped to the turf at the final whistle after some determined work off the ball to make up for the missing man, and Rashford had little left in the tank by fulltime.

While Ten Hag will be relieved to have taken all three points, there is a crisis brewing in United's midfield. With Christian Eriksen, Scott McTominay and Donny van de Beek injured, Casemiro's expected ban has come at a bad time. Facing Leeds with a weary Fred and Fernandes, with Sabitzer as the only other option, is far from ideal, especially as the Red Devils prepare for six games in the next 22 days.

The physical toll of today's win may come back to bite them.

Man United vs Crystal Palace live updates, highlights

FT: Bruno Fernandes drops to his knees, punching the air, as the referee at last sounds the final whistle. United made that far more difficult for themselves than it needed to be, and Casemiro will now be missing for three league matches, two of which will come against fierce rivals Leeds United. For now, though, they can celebrate a hard-fought three points.

90 + 8 min: Into the 98th minute, Palace keep the pressure on down the left, but Michael Olise is offside after getting the ball back from a throw-in! What a waste. David de Gea kicks... and that's it! United hang on!

90 + 6 mins: Luke Shaw blocks Michael Olise, the referee plays advantage, but the Palace man's cross is too deep and goes behind for a goal kick.

90 + 5 mins: United are keeping the play restricted to throw-ins in the Palace half, which is eating up the time. Can they hold on?

90th + 2 mins: Marcus Rashford is hurt after being fouled by Chris Richards when clearing the ball from the edge of the box. He seems okay.

90th min: Marcel Sabitzer thought he'd set up a counter-attack with a clean tackle, but a free-kick is given, much to the home fans' bemusement. We'll have seven minutes of added time here...

86th min: Careless from Luke Shaw, who plays a loose touch and then fouls Michael Olise near the corner flag. Erik ten Hag is bringing on Harry Maguire and Victor Lindelof in a bid to see out the result.

80th min: United are desperately hanging on here. Erik ten Hag makes a change, with Marcel Sabitzer on for his debut. This could be a big 10 minutes in their league season.

76th min: GOAL FOR CRYSTAL PALACE! The visitors take swift advantage of the red card. Moments after a brilliant David de Gea save, Jeffrey Schlupp sticks out a foot to divert the ball into the net through a crowded box. Game on!

70th min: CASEMIRO IS SENT OFF! There's a flashpoint after Antony is barged into the advertising boards and both sets of players get into a shoving match. In the melee, Casemiro had his hands on the neck of Will Hughes, trying to move him away from the scene, but the referee and VAR have decided it's a red-card offence! Could that bring Palace back into this match?

Watch Casemiro red card (USA):

(Australia):

62nd min: GOAL FOR MAN UNITED! Marcus Rashford doubles the lead! It's a terrific quick-passing move that finally unlocks this excellent Palace defence. The play ends with Alejandro Garnacho finding Luke Shaw, whose first-time cross from the left is poked home by Rashford from close range, with Chris Richards just playing him onside. Erik ten Hag's changes have made a swift impact!

Watch Marcus Rashford's goal (USA):

(Australia):

59th min: A change in shape for Man United, as Wout Weghorst comes off for Alejandro Garnacho. It looks like Marcus Rashford will play as the No.9 now.

58th min: Bruno Fernandes is receiving treatment after twisting awkwardly when challenging Tyrick Mitchell. Old Trafford stands up for the 'Busby Babes' while the midfielder is attended to. He seems okay for now.

56th min: Chance for Marcus Rashford! He controls a lovely cross-field pass from Bruno Fernandes, cuts onto his right foot, but he can't keep the shot down. For a man in his form, he would have expected to do better.

54th min: Lovely piece of skill from Jeffrey Schlupp to spin into space in the area, but his cut-back doesn't find a white shirt and United clear. Palace are on top at the moment, though.

49th min: Palace counter down the left after a United move breaks down, but Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez tidy up between them. It was another reminder to the Red Devils that their lead isn't exactly solid, particularly as they've created very few clear-cut chances since the early goal.

46th min: Man United get the game back underway. No changes for either team at halftime.

HT: Casemiro flicks on the corner but there's nobody there, and that's halftime. United have been relatively comfortable but they were punished for not scoring a second goal in the game at Selhurst Park, and Erik ten Hag will not want a repeat today.

45th + 1 min: United have a free-kick in a promising position late in the half, won by Antony. Bruno Fernandes swings it in, but Marc Guehi clears it well. Corner.

42nd min: First save for David de Gea! United are careless in midfield and Jeffrey Schlupp has space to move forward. He attempts a low shot from 25 yards out, which the United goalkeeper pushes away to his left.

39th min: United have eased off the gas a little and Palace are looking brighter going forward. Chris Richards meets a Michael Olise corner but he couldn't get over the ball and heads high and wide. That was a decent chance.

36th min: Close from Fred! Wout Weghorst moves to the left channel and squares the ball to the edge of the six-yard box. Fred arrives but pokes it just wide with his right foot.

33rd min: Casemiro tries his best Dimitar Berbatov impression with a pirouette into the Palace box, but it's blocked behind for a corner. Antony has a go from the edge of the area after the ball is cleared, but it strikes a red shirt and comes to nothing.

27th min: Smart save from Vicente Guaita, who stands tall to parry Marcus Rashford's effort from a tight angle. That all came from Bruno Fernandes intercepting a pass on the edge of the Palace box, which has happened a few times already.

19th min: Bruno Fernandes has been everywhere today. A sprint to block a potential cross from a quick Palace free-kick was followed by a smart ball to Luke Shaw to set up a counter-attack. There are some concerns for Man United, as Tyrick Mitchell has just hurt Casemiro with a clash of knees. The Brazilian is back on his feet, though.

12th min: Man United are well on top here. Antony and Aaron Wan-Bissaka are combining well down the right-hand side, and one such move led to a corner from which Wout Weghorst drew a good save from Vicente Guaita.

7th min: GOAL FOR MAN UNITED! Bruno Fernandes steps up, stutters, skips, and slots the ball to Vicente Guaita's left as the Palace keeper goes right. The home side are ahead.

Watch Bruno Fernandes score the penalty (USA):

5th min: Penalty to Man United! Marcus Rashford's cross from the left was blocked by Will Hughes' raised right arm. The referee saw nothing wrong at first, but after a VAR review, the spot-kick is given.

4th min: A positive start here from Crystal Palace but an early corner comes to nothing. United threatened through Luke Shaw but his low cross was blocked.

1 min: We're off and running for today's game.

5 mins before KO: A poignant moment at Old Trafford.

15 mins before KO: We're soon to see the pre-match ceremony to commemorate the Munich Air Disaster anniversary. The players are just heading indoors after the warm-up.

35 mins before KO: Anthony Martial's absence will come as a blow to Erik ten Hag. The United manager has repeatedly stressed the forward's importance to the way the attack is structured — something he proved against Forest this week — but this will be the 20th match he has missed in all competitions this season. Ten Hag described it as "a set-back" in Martial's recovery from his previous injury, adding: "We have to wait. We have to be patient, not force it."

Manchester United striker Anthony Martial
Getty Images

1 hour before KO: The team news is in. United make two changes from the side that started the 2-0 Carabao Cup win over Nottingham Forest on Wednesday: David de Gea and Marcus Rashford return to the lineup. Jadon Sancho and Marcel Sabitzer are on the bench, but there is no Anthony Martial, who made a goalscoring return to action against Forest. For Palace, Albert Sambi Lokonga and Naouirou Ahamada are among the substitutes and Wilfried Zaha is still out.

1 hour 15 mins before KO: United will use this game to mark the 65th anniversary of the Munich Air Disaster, in which 23 people died, including eight first-team players. A special tribute was held outside Old Trafford at 1.30 p.m. local time and there will be a minute's silence before kickoff, with players also wearing black armbands. The official matchday programme cover also commemorates those who were lost from among the 'Busby Babes'.

1 hour 30 mins before KO: There could be some debuts for January signings at Old Trafford today: Albert Sambi Lokonga, on loan from Arsenal, will hope to start in the visitors' midfield and Naouirou Ahamada may also be involved. For United, Marcel Sabitzer is in the matchday squad and could be a useful option for Erik ten Hag, who is missing Christian Eriksen, Donny van de Beek and Scott McTominay to injury.

2 hours before KO: Manchester United are going for a 13th home win in a row in all competitions against a Crystal Palace side who snatched a draw thanks to that amazing Michael Olise free-kick at Selhurst Park last month. Erik ten Hag wasn't happy with those dropped points, and he wants another victory today.

Man United vs Crystal Palace live stream, TV channel

Here's how to watch all of the action from this match in some of the major territories:

  TV channel Streaming
USA — Peacocok
Canada — fuboTV Canada
UK — —
Australia — Optus Sport
New Zealand — Sky Sport NOW
India Star Sports Select 1, Star Sports Select HD1 Jio TV, Hotstar VIP
Hong Kong Now Premier League TV (Ch. 620-621) now TV
Malaysia Astro Super Sport 3

Astro GO, Sooka
Singapore — StarHub TV+

UK: This match will not be broadcast live in the UK due to the embargo on showing live games that kick off at 3 p.m. on a Saturday.

USA: This match streams on NBC's Peacock platform for subscribers in both English and Spanish.

Canada: Every Premier League game this season is live streaming exclusively via fuboTV in Canada.

Australia: Fans in Australia can stream every match live and on demand on Optus Sport. 

India: Star Sports network has the rights to show Premier League matches in India. As well as an English broadcast on Star Sports Select, select matches will be available via regional feeds on Star Sports 3 (in Bengali, English, Kannada, Malayalam), Star Sports 1 (Bangla) and Star Sports 1 (Tamil).

Man United vs Crystal Palace lineups

Ten Hag has some injury problems in midfield, with Danish star Christian Eriksen ruled out until May and Scott McTominay likely out for another week or so, and the Dutch coach is expected to rotate his side again after resting some players for the 2-0 Carabao Cup semifinal second-leg win over Nottingham Forest.

New loan signing Marcel Sabitzer is in the matchday squad for the first time and Diogo Dalot is back, having been sidelined since the World Cup.

Man United (4-2-3-1, right to left): 1-De Gea (GK) — 29-Wan-Bissaka, 19-Varane, 6-Martinez, 23-Shaw — 18-Casemiro, 17-Fred — 21-Antony, 8-Fernandes, 10-Rashford — 27-Weghorst

Man United subs: 22-Heaton (GK), 2-Lindelof, 5-Maguire, 12-Malacia, 15-Sabitzer, 20-Dalot, 25-Sancho, 49-Garnacho, 73-Mainoo

Palace talisman Wilfried Zaha has been ruled out for Vieira's visitors with key defender Joachim Anderson also sidelined for another week.

Arsenal loanee Albert Sambi Lokonga could be in line for his Palace debut as a substitute, along with new arrival Naouirou Ahamada. Jeffrey Schlupp is the man tasked with filling in for Zaha.

Crystal Palace (4-2-3-1, right to left): 13-Guaita (GK) — 17-Clyne, 26-Richards, 6-Guehi, 3-Mitchell — 28-Doucoure, 19-Hughes — 9-Ayew, 7-Olise, 15-Schlupp — 22-Edouard

Crystal Palace subs: 21-Johnstone (GK), 41-Whitworth (GK), 4-Milivojevic, 5-Tomkins, 8-Lokonga, 10-Eze, 14-Mateta, 29-Ahamada, 44-Riedewald

Man United vs Crystal Palace odds

  USA
(BetMGM)		 UK 
(SkyBet)		 Australia
(Neds)		 Canada
(Sports Interaction)
Man United win -250 4/11 1.40 -291
Draw +375 15/4 4.40 +376
Crystal Palace win +675 15/2 8.25 +682
Over/Under 2.5 goals -130 / -105 4/5 / 10/11 1.85 - 1.95 -125 / -106
Both teams to score Y/N +105 / -150 11/10 / 4/6 2.05 - 1.70 +102 / - 161

Joe Wright

Joe Wright Photo

Joe is a Senior Editor at Sporting News. He was previously a sub editor and writer for Goal.com before spending six years as part of the Stats Perform editorial news service, covering major global sports including football, tennis, boxing, NBA, rugby union and athletics. Joe has reported live on some of the biggest games in football, including two UEFA Champions League finals, Euro 2016, the Confederations Cup 2017 and the 2018 World Cup final at the end of a month in Russia.