Manchester United Dominates Crystal Palace Yet Settles For Frustrating Goalless Draw

Add as a preferred source on Google

Erik ten Hag expressed frustration after Manchester United's goalless draw against Crystal Palace. Despite dominating the match, United failed to score. They had an expected goals (xG) of 1.64 compared to Palace's 1.07, with most of their chances in the first half. Dean Henderson, Palace's goalkeeper, made seven crucial saves against his former team.

United hit the woodwork three times during the match. Alejandro Garnacho struck it after 27 minutes, and Bruno Fernandes missed the rebound over the crossbar. Ten Hag was not satisfied with the result, stating, "When we don't win, I'm not content." He believed they should have scored at least one or two goals in the first half.

This draw marked only the fourth time United have been held scoreless under Ten Hag in 81 Premier League games. The last goalless draw was against Liverpool in December 2023. Andre Onana made a crucial save from Ismaila Sarr's close-range attempt after stopping Eddie Nketiah's powerful shot.

Eberechi Eze also missed a significant chance from Sarr’s pass, leaving Ten Hag feeling that a point was deserved for his team. This result places United in 11th position in the league standings. Ten Hag praised Onana for his performance, noting that he has kept four clean sheets in six recent matches.

The former Ajax manager commented on their first-half performance: "We played very good [in the first half], total control of the game." He emphasized that they needed to be more clinical inside the box as it is crucial for deciding matches.

In the second half, Palace adjusted by closing down midfield spaces and launching effective counter-attacks. This made it harder for United to break through and allowed Palace more opportunities on counters.

Ten Hag highlighted Onana’s contribution: "A brilliant save from Andre twice in one action." Onana’s recent performances have been vital for United’s defensive stability.