Crystal Palace 2-3 Manchester United: 5 Talking Points

#2 Individual mistakes peg United back in the first half

Pogba had a forgettable first-half

Manchester United were slow and sloppy in the first half and it was all down to individual errors that led them to their predicament of being down at the break.

Chris Smalling and Victor Lindelof were struggling as a centre-back pair – not for the first time this season – as Alex Sorloth’s movement and Benteke’s physical presence proved a handful for them to deal with.

Smalling’s decision to stand off Benteke as he was moving across the penalty area resulted in conceding the first goal as the Belgian was able to easily lay the ball off to Townsend.

Pogba’s passing was shocking in the first half, as was his intention to play a defensive role with Matic and Scott McTominay already present in midfield.

Sanchez’s tendency to take too many touches on the ball led him to give away possession on countless occasions.

With the Eagles playing narrowly, United was expected to attack from the wide areas, failing to do so until Marcus Rashford’s introduction in the second half provided the needed width.

United had clearly dug a hole for themselves with a non-performance in the first half but eventually managed to turn the tie in their favour with a much-improved second-half display.