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Manchester United, feeling superior until Casemiro's expulsion, the first of his career for a direct red card for grabbing an opponent by the neck in a brawl, and knowing how to suffer in inferiority at the 'Theater of Dreams' against Crystal Palace's reaction, was the first team from the upper part of the table to take advantage of Arsenal's slip-up. They are far behind, eight points away, but in a league as tight as the Premier, where a team in the relegation zone is capable of surprising the leader, nothing is impossible.
At least that's what Manchester United thinks as it extends its improvement. With greater signs of strength since Cristiano Ronaldo's departure. Exhibiting authority at Old Trafford until an action changed the course of a quiet afternoon.
Erik ten Hag's team was winning 2-0, a very favorable situation from the start. A handball outside the body of Hughes inside the penalty area, on a cross from Rashford, caused a clear penalty when there were not even four minutes played. VAR helped the referee, who did not see it at first glance. A specialist, Bruno Fernandes, did not forgive in his calm run-up, with a final jump and a deception to the opposing goalkeeper.
Manchester United had not found a rival in a Crystal Palace team in a bad dynamic, suffering on their left side. The runs of Wan-Bissaka and the danger of Rashford with his weak foot. It stayed in the game thanks to the Spanish goalkeeper Vicente Guaita, who flew to a header from Weghorst and prevented Rashford's goal.
Manchester United had fun with Casemiro freed, appearing in dangerous areas with criteria, against an imprecise Crystal Palace that seemed harmless. Although it ended up demanding the best version of David de Gea, with his strong glove down to prevent the equalizer three minutes before halftime. The first shot on target could not have been more dangerous, a long-distance left-footed shot from Schlupp, with a poisoned bounce, adjusted to the post.
Except for that action, nothing presaged the ending that the match had reserved. With quality, United seemed to sentence it in a brilliant team play, with one-touch passes, until the quality of young Garnacho appeared against a crowded defense to open to the left wing, where Shaw provided a gift of a cross for Rashford's goal.
But in the 70th minute, a hard tackle next to the touchline on Antony, who had been targeted after some misinterpreted dribbles, ended up in a brawl with many players involved. VAR caught Casemiro grabbing a rival, Hughes, from the group of the altercation and he was punished with a straight red card.
Suddenly, everything changed. Crystal Palace rose from the canvas, launched an attack with offensive changes, and disputed United's victory until the end. De Gea shone with a powerful header from Guehi after a corner kick, but he couldn't do anything in the 76th minute, when after a shot from Doucoure, inside the six-yard box, Schlupp tightened the scoreline.
That's when Lisandro Martínez's competitive character prevailed, clearing every cross into the opponent's area. With United's crowded defense defending their victory, Mateta missed the chance to equalize three minutes before the end, appearing at the far post but failing to hit the target.
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