Considering the last time Erik ten Hag left Selhurst Park, with his job under intense scrutiny, this was a much more reassuring visit to the home of Crystal Palace.
Just as back in May, Manchester United again failed to score, but here they managed to avoid conceding four goals and looking like an assembly of people who had never before played football together.
They did much better than that in the 0-0 draw. The first half was arguably the most complete display of Ten Hag’s ideal style of play since he took charge of the club in 2022. At the break, United had claimed 68 per cent of possession, taken nine shots and created five big chances. Dean Henderson, performing like a man possessed against the club where he once felt he should be No 1, made excellent saves as if to prove the point, denying Alejandro Garnacho, Matthijs de Ligt and Lisandro Martinez.
The most pleasing aspect from Ten Hag’s point of view, though, was how United suffocated Palace, winning the ball in midfield to spring attacks or forcing opposition defenders to pass back to Henderson, who kicked long. The high defensive line allowed Joshua Zirkzee to press with confidence from centre-forward.
A good example came in the 35th minute when Martinez anticipated well to step in on Jean-Philippe Mateta in the centre circle and feed a sharp pass into Bruno Fernandes, who turned smartly. United suddenly had a four-on-three advantage, with the ball going out wide to Amad for a cross that saw Fernandes’ finish blocked by Marc Guehi. The passage of play was notable from a coaching perspective because it can be repeated.
However, United’s failure to capitalise on openings meant that when the contest became much more even in the second half and Palace created their own chances, Ten Hag’s team were indebted to Andre Onana for preserving the draw. His double save from Eddie Nketiah and Ismaila Sarr is a contender for goalkeeping moment of the campaign.
For UK readers:
Andre Onana with a ridiculous double save to keep the scores level 😳🧤 pic.twitter.com/HDWexFk17i
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) September 21, 2024
For U.S. readers:
The replay angles of Andre Onana’s magnificent double save. 😲
📺 NBC & Peacock | #CRYMUN pic.twitter.com/LZ0FD4vDB5
— NBC Sports Soccer (@NBCSportsSoccer) September 21, 2024
Losing at Selhurst Park again would have hit like a punch to the stomach, the root cause stemming back to United’s inability to finish. Their expected goals figure, based on the opportunities they have created this season, stands at 9.53, behind only Liverpool on 10.1 (Manchester City’s after four games is 9.28).
United have missed 17 big chances, according to Opta, the most in the division. The next highest number is 12, accounting for Aston Villa, Liverpool and Tottenham.
Being optimistic, that implies United’s tally of five goals is primed to rise significantly once everything clicks. Being pessimistic, it emphasises doubts that United possess players ruthless enough to bring about an upturn on 58 and 57, the total number of goals scored by the team in the last two Premier League campaigns.
Marcus Rashford is the closest thing United have to a proven goalscorer, but after ending his blank run of 12 games away to Southampton, and following up with a double against Barnsley, his place on the bench seemed to impact his rhythm when he did go on. Before kick-off, Ten Hag said his team needed rotation and afterwards, unprompted, set his sights on the Sky Sports studio.
Inevitably briefed on Jamie Redknapp speculating “something has gone on that we don’t know” regarding Rashford’s omission, Ten Hag responded: “Already the speculation, some pundits, that’s crazy. I would almost say as a person you are not OK when you bring such speculation if you don’t know what’s going on. I am very happy with Marcus.”
The point Ten Hag is making is that United should be able to rotate players without that becoming a focus of attention or suspicion, in the same way as at Manchester City or Liverpool. It does feel like Ten Hag now has a squad with good coverage of quality and it could be argued the one he selected at Selhurst Park is the strongest he has had at United.
All nine players on the bench were experienced professionals, a stark contrast to the previous match at the same stadium when Ten Hag was forced to name five academy players and two goalkeepers as substitutes. Casemiro and a half-fit Jonny Evans played centre-back for that 4-0 defeat. This time, they were unused.
Instead, on went Rashford, Rasmus Hojlund and Manuel Ugarte, players who could all be considered regular starters. Ten Hag wants to be able to make changes within games and week to week without a drop-off in quality.
But the changes at Selhurst Park saw United lose impetus and a sense of control. Zirkzee had not looked like scoring, but he was linking play nicely, as were Christian Eriksen and Amad, who were also replaced. Removing three technical protectors of the ball gave Palace a foothold.
“It’s so different now because we can work on the team, we can build in structures on the training pitch,” said Ten Hag. “We can get some consistency in selection. You hope that they have an impact, fresh from the bench when the opponent is tired. But to be fair, the approach of the opponent changed second half, more aggressive, also tactical, they closed much better in midfield areas, so it was more difficult for us to create chances.”
One of the issues stemmed from Fernandes giving the ball away repeatedly. He lost possession 34 times, the most of any player in a Premier League match this season. Mason Mount, who is only just back from injury, stayed on the bench. Mount replacing Fernandes in the No 10 role in moments would be a real sign of squad depth.
Ultimately, the draw is markedly better than four months ago, but given that was a performance that had United’s hierarchy looking at alternatives to Ten Hag, the bar is low. This was a very good display for the most part, but to push on properly this season, these are the types of games United need to be winning.
(Top photo: Fernandes, right, and Garnacho, left, after a missed chance; by Peter Nicholls/Getty Images)
