Manchester United and Crystal Palace held each other to a goalless draw in their Premier League confrontation at Selhurst Park, despite Manchester United hitting the crossbar twice in quick succession. Alejandro Garnacho, who had replaced Marcus Rashford under Erik ten Hag’s decision, was the first to hit the woodwork mid-way through the opening half.
The crossbar also denied United player Bruno Fernandes, while Dean Henderson, the United goalkeeper, put up an exemplary performance against his old team, Crystal Palace, securing vital saves. Both teams had opportunities to alter the game’s outcome, particularly as Crystal Palace found their rhythm post-break, marking their third consecutive Premier League draw.
In their previous encounter, Crystal Palace had accomplished their maiden league double over United during a superb end-of-season run. However, on this occasion, they were yet to secure a win for this new season as the late Saturday kick-off game approached.
Matthijs de Ligt from United sent a header straight into the arms of Henderson after a corner in the game’s early phase and was quickly followed by Garnacho’s shot, which was blocked by Henderson. The goalkeeper was kept engaged as De Ligt made another header attempt at the near post, followed by Lisandro Martinez’s low dig at the goal nearby.
Despite the hosts’ patience, moving the game forward remained a struggle until Jean-Philippe Mateta ran forward to a ball, but his weak low shot from a tight point on the edge of the penalty box was comfortably saved by Andre Onana.
The deadlock continued even after Garnacho hit the crossbar from within the 18-yard box, and Fernandes was denied a point by the woodwork from the rebound. As Palace searched for a breakthrough, Joshua Zirkzee headed just wide of Henderson’s left post from a corner. The hosts finally advanced inside United’s half during the 37th minute following Ebere Eze’s cleared free-kick. But, the tides quickly shifted in favour of United again following their short corner, with Henderson once again being the saviour by saving a shot from Zirkzee.
In a hard-fought game, the first shot on goal from the hosts came just prior to halftime, with Tyrick Mitchell setting up Eze, although his shot on Onana’s goal lacked power. At the interval, Oliver Glasner opted for a double substitution, with Ismaila Sarr and Jefferson Lerma replacing Mateta and Adam Wharton. Following the changes, Eze brilliantly spun and linked up with Sarr, however, his goal attempt was blocked by De Ligt. Fernandes also sent a shot wide, continuing United’s series of missed opportunities.
Sarr was denied a penalty after a tackle by Martinez, and his mild cries of dissent were soon drowned out as Rashford came onto the field just after the hour mark. One of the standout moments of the match was Henderson’s extraordinary save, tipping Garnacho’s swerving shot over the crossbar. This was immediately followed by Henderson being cautioned for objecting to Martinez’s two-footed tackle on Daichi Kamada, which also earned Martinez a caution, though the hosts appealed for a harsher punishment.
United also had a penalty claim disregarded. Meanwhile, Onana shone in goal, blocking successive attempts from Eddie Nketiah and then Sarr from point-blank range. The tie remained goalless despite Sarr’s skilled ball control in the box, preparing for the arrival of Eze, who unfortunately directed his shot narrowly off target.
Before the regulation time concluded, Jeffrey Schlupp was brought on to replace Eze. In the dying minutes, Sarr’s desperate goal attempt drifted just wide, and United’s attempt from a free-kick just before the referee blew the final whistle came to naught.