A very good performance from Palace at Old Trafford was spoilt by a ridiculous decision in the second half which very much favoured the home side and ultimately decided the outcome of the game.
MATCH INFORMATION
| 1 March 2026 – 2pm |
| Manchester United 2-1 Crystal Palace |
| Premier League |
| Old Trafford |
PLAYER RATINGS
| 1 | Dean HENDERSON © | 7.3 |
| 2 | Daniel MUNOZ | 6.5 |
| 23 | Jaydee CANVOT | 7.1 |
| 5 | Maxence LACROIX | 6.2 |
| 26 | Chris RICHARDS | 6.5 |
| 3 | Tyrick MITCHELL | 6.6 |
| 18 | Daichi KAMADA (10 Yeremy PINO 85 mins) | 6.5 (6.0) |
| 20 | Adam WHARTON (19 Will HUGHES 68 mins) | 6.0 (6.0) |
| 7 | Ismaila SARR | 6.6 |
| 11 | Brennan JOHNSON (29 Evann GUESSAND 58 mins) | 6.6 (5.9) |
| 22 | Jorgen Strand LARSEN (Chadi RIAD 58 mins) | 6.4 (5.6) |
UNUSED SUBSTITUTES – 12 Christantus UCHE, 17 Nathaniel CLYNE, 24 Borna SOSA, 44 Walter BENITEZ, 55 Justin DEVENNY
| 31 | Senne LAMMENS | 6.2 |
| 23 | Luke SHAW (3 Noussair MAZRAOUI 24 mins) | 5.9 (6.9) |
| 5 | Harry MAGUIRE (26 Ayden HEAVEN 85 mins) | 7.1 (6.0) |
| 15 | Leny YORO | 6.4 |
| 2 | Diogo DALOT | 6.6 |
| 37 | Kobbie MAINOO | 6.8 |
| 18 | CASEMIRO | 7.2 |
| 10 | Mathues CUNHA | 7.2 |
| 8 | Bruno FERNANDES | 8.8 |
| 19 | Bryan MBEUMO (11 Joshua ZIRKZEE 86 mins) | 7.0 (6.2) |
| 30 | Benjamin SESKO (16 Amad DIALLO 75 mins) | 7.9 (6.6) |
UNUSED SUBSTITUTES – 1 Altay BAYINDIR, 12 Tyrell MALACIA, 25 Manual UGARTE, 39 Tyler FLETCHER, 48 Jack MOORHOUSE
POST GAME QUOTES
OLIVER GLASNER
“It is decisive when you are leading and then concede a penalty and then have a player less. The foul was outside the box and the foul should be given where it starts, not where it ends. We tried everything to get the equaliser and we were in good situations four or five times.
The performances have not been that bad. We’re not efficient and ruthless in attack. The way the team is fighting, even here under difficult circumstances, gives me faith until the end of the season.”
CHRIS RICHARDS
“It’s a tough one, it was a game of ups and downs, but we ended the game pretty well. That’s pretty much how the cookie crumbled. We still have a lot of big games coming up, so we should not let ourselves get too down after a result like this. Regardless, we still have a lot to play for this season and we’re just going to keep looking forward.”
MATCH STATISTICS
| Star Man | Bruno FERNANDES (8.8) |
| Goals | Maxence LACROIX (4), Bruno FERNANDES (57 pen), Benjamin SESKO (65) |
| Assists | Brennan JOHNSON (4), Bruno FERNANDES (65) |
| Most shots | Benjamin SESKO, Bruno FERNANDES (4) |
| Most tackles | CASEMIRO, Kobbie MAINOO, Daniel MUNOZ (4) |
| Most dribbles | Bruno FERNANDES, Tyrick MITCHELL (2) |
| Team rating | 6.84 – 6.38 |
| Total shots | 20 – 6 |
| Shots on target | 13 – 3 |
| Yellow cards | Daichi KAMADA (6), Diogo DALOT (36), Dean HENDERSON (49), Ayden HEAVEN (89) |
| Red cards | Maxence LACROIX (56) |
| Possession | 61.1% – 38.9% |
| Pass success | 86% – 76% |
| Passes | 610 – 397 |
| Dribbles | 7 – 3 |
| Aerials won | 24 – 13 |
| Tackles | 13 – 17 |
| Fouls | 13 – 12 |
| Corners | 7 – 1 |
| Saves | 2 – 9 |
| Dispossessed | 9 – 8 |
TEB VERDICT
No matter what anyone says, this result hinged on the abysmal decision making which included a VAR check.
After success in the Conference League on Thursday evening, this was a very bright performance by the visitors who should have been in a much better position when the referee intervened with such a ridiculous decision. It is hard to play against sides that ultimately get a helping hand from such decisions.
It is a bitter pill to swallow as the Eagles were well in this game at that point in the game when Maxence Lacroix was deemed to pull their player in the box who did not hot the ground until he was in the area. It should have been a free kick and a booking, but of course, United were given a penalty and ten men to play against.
The expected happened and the hosts got themselves into the lead but Palace did not sit back, there were still chances late on to take a point back but the player discrepancy proved to be the difference.
Oliver Glasner was rightly frustrated at the end of the game as his players deserved much more from the game, but what can you do when officials get involved and still make shocking decisions with the aid of technology.
LEAGUE POSITION
| P | W | D | L | GD | PTS | ||
| 13 | Newcastle United | 28 | 10 | 6 | 12 | -2 | 36 |
| 14 | Crystal Palace | 28 | 9 | 8 | 11 | -4 | 35 |
| 15 | Leeds United | 28 | 7 | 10 | 11 | -10 | 31 |
UPCOMING FIXTURES
| DATE | TEAM | LOCATION | COMPETITION | KICK OFF TIME |
| 05/03/2026 | Tottenham Hotspur | Away | Premier League | 8pm |
| 14/03/2026 | Leeds United | Home | Premier League | 3pm |
| 11/04/2026 | Newcastle United | Homes | Premier League | 3pm |
