Manchester United will have walked off the Selhurst Park pitch gobsmacked at the fact they were unable to find the back of the net across the full 90 minutes, as the Red Devils and Crystal Palace played out an eventful 0-0 draw.
Erik ten Hag’s men had the chances to win the contest, but on the other hand, a couple of fantastic saves by Andre Onana for the away side in the second half also ensured the Eagles weren’t victorious towards the close of the back-and-forth Premier League clash.
It was a wasteful display by the Man United attackers throughout, with Bruno Fernandes one of the main guilty culprits of not putting his chances away, on top of also looking complacent against Oliver Glasner’s Eagles on the ball.
Fernandes' performance vs Palace
The usually exciting to watch Red Devils captain wasn’t at his electric best whatsoever in South London, despite being fresh off an EFL Cup display against Barnsley which saw him pick up two assists from the substitutes bench.
Of course, that was against League One opposition on home soil, with Palace a far trickier test back in the bread and butter of league action, which was seen in the Portuguese midfielder’s out-of-sorts display.
From his 113 touches of the ball, the rusty 30-year-old – who is usually a focal point when it comes to United’s creative game – only managed to notch up two key passes, with possession also squandered an alarming 34 times.
Moreover, the lacklustre United number eight failed to hit a single shot on target when venturing forward versus the Eagles, with one effort agonisingly hitting the crossbar when Ten Hag’s men were dominant in the first 45 minutes after Alejandro Garnacho had also fluffed his lines.
As a result of the away side’s ineffective finishing, the hosts would grow in confidence and could have nicked a win late on, to really add insult to injury for the Red Devils.
Garnacho's performance vs Palace
As much as Fernandes put in a disappointing display, he wasn’t the only notable underperformer in attack, with the aforementioned Garnacho also having an afternoon to forget in the frustrating stalemate.
The South American has been a positive all season long for his stuttering side with a goal against Southampton despite the 20-year-old only being present on the pitch for 17 minutes before he would then win himself a starting spot at Selhurst Park.
Ten Hag must have wished he’d gone with a different face down the wings after the 0-0 draw was over and done with, as Garnacho just never looked convincing in front of goal.
Minutes played
90
Goals
0
Assists
0
Shots
3
Big chances missed
2
Touches
40
Accurate passes
19/20 (95%)
Successful dribbles
0/2
Total duels won
1/8
Possession lost
11x
He ended up spurning a number of chances that came his way, with two big chances missed in the goalless contest, whilst also never looking confident running forward with pace having completed neither of his two dribble attempts.
Only winning a meagre one duel from eight attempted too, it could now be the case that Ten Hag drops his misfiring winger for his side’s opening Europa League fixture this mid-week back at Old Trafford, as Dutch outfit FC Twente travel to Manchester attempting to cause an upset.
GOAL wasn’t the most complimentary about the Argentine winger post-match either, handing out a low 5/10 rating to the 20-year-old and stating that he ‘has to find an end product’ more consistently.
Ten Hag has already shown that he’s unafraid to ruffle a few feathers with his team selecton choices – showcased in Marcus Rashford having to settle for a place on the substitutes bench against Palace – and the Dutchman would raise more eyebrows if he ditches both Fernandes and Garnacho next, even after their poor displays.
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