That’s all from me today. Thanks for reading and congratulations to Ralf Rangnick on kicking off his Manchester United tenure with a win. Commiserations to Crystal Palace but they won’t have too many problems this season if they keep performing like that. See you next time – Rob Smyth has Aston Villa v Leicester live, right here:
Fred’s sweet second-half strike gave Ralf Rangnick a victory in his first match in charge against Patrick Vieira’s Crystal Palace
Updated
Sun 5 Dec 2021 11.36 EST
First published on Sun 5 Dec 2021 08.00 EST
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Key events
Jamie Jackson’s report from Old Trafford is here:
The Manchester United interim manager Rangnick speaks to BBC Radio 5Live: “I’m very happy with the way the team performed, the way they played, especially the first half-hour, that was exceptional, I thought. The only thing missing in that period was one or two nil ... we had control of the game ... I am very happy with the result and the clean sheet.
“I said in my first press conference, there are things we need to improve on, to get clean sheets, to get control of the game. What they [my players] showed was more than I expected, to be honest.
“Patience was important but we always tried to be on the front foot ... that’s what I liked today ... we were always trying to keep them away from goal ... We wanted to play with two strikers and with two 10s, to get more control in the centre of midfield.”
On Cristiano Ronaldo’s performance, especially defensively: “By the way, what Ronaldo did today ‘against the ball’: Chapeau.”
On Fred’s winner: “I had to ask one of my assistants if it was Fred with his right foot ... it was great what he did together with [Scott] McTominay at No 6.”
Elsewhere, Tottenham beat Norwich 3-0, and here is Ed Aarons’ report:
For Palace, although they head back to London empty-handed, it was more evidence of the progress being made under the very impressive Patrick Vieira. Ayew really should have scored from that second-half corner, and then who knows what may have happened?
Another positive sign for United was their fluency in possession, particularly before the break, when there always seemed to be an option for them. Ronaldo was exemplary, too – the only thing missing was a goal. He was a constant thorn in the side of the Palace defence and it was something of a statement performance from him, in terms of his determination to play a full part in the new Rangnick era.
After Manchester United drew 1-1 with Chelsea at Stamford Bridge last weekend, Thomas Tuchel laughed off the suggestion that United’s performance had shown the hallmarks of Rangnick. Today’s display certainly did, though, especially the way United pressed so effectively in the first half. On more than one occasion, they forced Palace into giving up possession high up the pitch, with Ronaldo playing full part in the focused, combined efforts to press the ball.
It’s a far cry from some of the shambolic attempts to press that were seen in recent months, perhaps most notably in the 5-0 thrashing by Liverpool towards the end of October.
Flying Fred.
Full-time! Manchester United 1-0 Crystal Palace
Ralf Rangnick starts his Manchester United reign with a win, and achieves the first home clean sheet of the season to boot. It was a game of two halves, with the hosts putting Palace under tonnes of pressure in the first half, before Patrick Vieira’s men grew into it after the break, with Jordan Ayew missing a golden chance to put them into the lead. Fred had the final word, though, with a sweet first-time finish that earned the three points.
90 min + 3: Palace aren’t finished and win a corner but they fluff the execution, the ball dropping to Zaha on the edge of the area, who miskicks completely ... will that be their last chance?
90 min +1: Palace break with pace down the left – Lindelöf is exposed one-on-one against Zaha. He chooses to chop him down and takes the booking. Olise takes the free-kick but Ronaldo, putting a real shift in, produces an excellent defensive header to clear the danger.
90 min: Maguire is now wearing a black bandage wrapped around his considerably-sized head after that clash with Éduoard. There will be five minutes of injury time. Time for a late twist?
87 min: Van de Beek wins a free-kick on Manchester United’s right wing for a foul by Tompkins. Tompkins looks disgusted with the decision, and has words with the linesman, not that it does any good or makes any difference. Telles bends an excellent delivery to the far post but Guaita manages to bat it clear.
85 min: Eberechi Eze and Michael Olise come on for Palace, with Ayew and Kouyate going off. For Manchester United, Donny van de Beek comes into the fray for Bruno Fernandes. The United fans are in fine voice as they close in on what is shaping up to be a positive start to the Rangnick era.
82 min: With Crystal Palace on the front foot, a clash of heads between Maguire and Éduoard has led to a break in play. Maguire is hurt - it looks like blood has been drawn - so he is going to be bandaged up and sent back out there, by the looks of it.
78 min: Greenwood, not long on the pitch, did really well to turn back while in the penalty area and tee up the opening goal. Fred had plenty still to do, though, and it was a beautiful first-time finish which has the Old Trafford crowd on their feet. Will that secure the first victory of the Rangnick reign?
Goal! 77 min: Manchester United 1-0 Crystal Palace! (Fred)
After a huge scare at the other end seconds before, Manchester United lead! What a goal it is too! The Brazilian midfielder Fred is teed up on the edge of the box and sweeps a wonderful right-footed finish, across Guiata, and into far corner!
74 min: Palace’s belief is growing – you can almost feel the nerves increasing across Old Trafford after such a positive first half. A smart sequence of passing from Vieira’s team sees Maguire cough up a corner on the United right. Tompkins does well to win a header at the far post from the corner ... the ball drops to Ayew at the far post who is no more than two yards from goal, albeit from an angle ... and he sidefoots just wide! What a chance to Crystal Palace.
70 min: Rashford storms down the left for Manchester United before the ball is worked to the opposite side of the penalty area, where Fernandes pulls off a little bit of trickery and tees up Mason Greenwood for a shot. He hits it left-footed but drags it well wide.
68 min: A free-kick for Manchester United on their right wing ... Telles hits it, curling to the far post, and it clips the top of the crossbar! But still no score as we approach the final 20 minutes. If Palace can snatch a winner here it would be a classic smash-and-grab raid.
66 min: Christian Benteke off, Odsonne Édouard comes on as Vieira freshens up his attacking options.
64 min: Palace win a corner, which is initially cleared by Manchester United. Gallagher gets the ball on the edge of the box and shoots, but it skews off the side of his left boot and out for a goal kick.
62 min: Rangnick mixes it up: Sancho off, Mason Greenwood on.
60 min: United win a corner, which is taken short. It’s worked back to Sancho, who curls a cross towards the far post, which flies harmlessly out for a goal kick.
58 min: Sancho bursts into the Palace penalty area, and lays a pass off to Rashford with the outside of his boot ... Rashford shoots from close range, with a forest of defenders in front of him, and Gallagher manages to get an important boot in the way to block the shot.
54 min: Palace build from the back and win a free-kick on the edge of the area when Fred fouls Ayew. Gallagher takes the set piece, which is in a highly dangerous spot on the angle of the area. Nervous moments for United after all their dominance before the break. From the free-kick, Kouyate heads towards goal from beyond the far post, and demands a corner, and gets it ... Gallagher takes the corner, Schlupp tries to head it from around the near post, but it flies way, way over the bar and out for a goal kick.
50 min: Ronaldo tries to get on the end of another cross but can’t quite reach it. Fernandes then plays a ball goalwards from a central area but Palace repel the danger. It’s a fairly low-key opening to the second period, with a noticeably lower tempo than much of the first half.
48 min: Both sides are feeling their way, slowly, into the second half. Manchester United stroke it around at the back, before Maguire sprays a good long pass out to the right, then eventually gets the ball back, and sends it left instead. The Manchester United centre-back gets his foot on the ball for a third time, with Palace happy not to press the ball high, and the ball eventually finds its way to Fernandes on the United right, who opts to shoot from about 25 yards out. The ball flies harmlessly high over the Palace goal.
Second half kick-off!
Palace get the second half started. Can Rangnick’s new charges find a goal or two, or could the Eagles pull off their second remarkable Manchester away win of the Premier League season?
A bit of half-time viewing for you – a collection of stunning sports photos by Gerry Cranham:
Half-time! Manchester United 0-0 Crystal Palace
There is time for Dalot to bend a shot just wide of goal before the half-time whistle sounds. No goals, but a seriously impressive display from Manchester United in comparison to some of their recent efforts. They have pressed intelligently, they have passed the ball crisply, there have been threats all over the pitch, and only some committed last-ditch defending from Crystal Palace has prevented the hosts from taking the lead. See you in a few minutes for more.