RASH decisions can cost you games, or even your job. Especially at Manchester United.
Erik ten Hag would have had no reason to regret his call to drop in-form Marcus Rashford if his team had made their first-half domination count.
AFPMan Utd and Crystal Palace played out goalless draw at Selhurst Park[/caption]
AlamyNeither side were able to break the deadlock[/caption]
AlamyDean Henderson put in a superb performance to keep out his former side[/caption]
And Rashford did little in his half an hour on the field to suggest he would have made much difference from the start.
But it still felt strange for Ten Hag to have talked up the former England striker’s improvement in on-field performance and off-field behaviour, only to leave him out.
And there was no avoiding the fact that this goalless draw was a step backwards for Rashord, his manager and the club at the end of an otherwise promising week.
United had scored 10 goals without reply in seeing off Southampton in the Premier League and bullying Barnsley in the League Cup, with Rashford finding the net three times across the two games..
Yet having threatened to do the same to Palace, they were arguably lucky to escape with a point after their hosts had two great second-half chances to record their third league win in a row against Ten Hag’s men.
For the opening 45 minutes, Oliver Glasner’s team were a shadow of the side that had completed a first league double over United for more than 50 years when they humbled them 4-0 at Selhurst Park in May.
Yet Andre Onana had a to make an excellent double stop to deny Eddie Nketiah and substitute Ismaila Sarr in the second half.
But the United goalkeeper should have had no chance when Sarr teed up Eberechi Eze, only for the England international to fire wide.
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AFPMarcus Rashford was left on the bench from the start by Erik ten Hag[/caption]
Palace remain winless but will be encouraged by their second-half display after Dean Henderson, a former United stopper, had made decent saves in the opening period.
Yet Ten Hag could rightly complain that, Rashford or no Rashford, his side had the chances to win.
United looked determined to pick up where they had left off against Barnsley and to avoid the slow start of the previous weekend.
But Palace did not seem to have paid attention to others lessons of that match, particularly the slackness at set-pieces that had cost Southampton dear.
In the 10th minute, Joshua Zirkzee sent Garnacho clear but former United goalkeeper Dean Henderson made the first of three good saves in quick succession.
Matthijs De Ligt, having broken his United duck at St Mary’s after a corner, had already been given a free header from one Christian Eriksen delivery.
But the Dutchman was left all alone again as he met a similar back-post cross from the Dane, and Henderson kept out the header well with a leg.
After yet another dead ball, Lisandro Martinez picked up on Marc Guehi’s half-clearance and again Henderson came to the rescue.
Palace were curiously passive and passes were going regularly astray, much to the frustration of fans hoping to enjoy the late evening sunshine.
It felt like a goal was coming, and one nearly did. Garnacho hit the crossbar with a first-time shot from Diogo Dalot’s pass and Bruno Fernandes’ follow-up bounced up off the pitch and on to pretty much the same part of the goalframe.
Zirkzee was rightly disappointed in himself when he made first contact from an Eriksen corner but headed wide. Fernandes sent in a delicious cross but neither Zirkzee nor Garnacho could apply a chef’s kiss finish.
Until a minute before half time, the closest Palace came to doing United any harm was when Adam Wharton smacked a cross hard into Amad’s gonads.
Then Tyrick Mitchell cut the ball back perfectly for Eberechi Eze only for the England international to send his shot straight at Andre Onana.
ReutersLisandro Martinez avoided red for a rash challenge[/caption]
ReutersThe defender was shown yellow instead[/caption]
Glasner took action, making a double change at half time to beef up his midfield and replace the ineffectual Jean-Philippe Mateta.
Almost immediately Eze burst clear from substitute Ismaila Sarr’s flick but De Ligt made a timely block.
A more even game ensued and Fernandes fired wide when well placed.
Glasner swung between throwing a drink down in his technical area in disgust and waving his arms in frantic encouragement as his side tried to give their fans something to enjoy.
United had lost impetus so Ten Hag summoned Rashford just after the hour, replacing Zirkzee up top.
Garnacho drew another decent stop from Henderson with a shot from distance.
If Martinez’s bizarre two-footed leaping challenge on Daichi Kamada had made any sort of contact, he would have be shown more than a yellow card.
Then Onana denied Palace an unlikely opener.
It wasn’t quite as heroic as David Raya’s double save for Arsenal after a penalty in Atalanta, but after keeping out Eddie Nketiah’s initial shot, the United ‘keeper did brilliantly to throw himself in the way of Sarr’s follow-up.
The visitors claimed a penalty for handball at the other end, but to no avail.
And then came Eze’s second great opportunity to punish United for their lack of cutting edge.
A return pass from Sarr teed him up perfectly, but the Palace No 10 failed even to hit the target.
Ten Hag sent on Manuel Ugarte and fit-again Rasmus Hojlund.
The changes meant Rashford taking up his third position of the game – from bench to centre forward to left wing.
You could say he made pretty much the same impact from each, so maybe Ten Hag was right.
AFPAndre Onana pulled off a spectacular double save to keep the scores level[/caption]