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Ralf Rangnick kicked off his tenure at Manchester United with a win. Fred's long-range stunner helped them overcome Crystal Palace 1-0 in their Premier League fixture on Sunday.
Manchester United displayed some rigor in their first outing under the interim manager as they dominated the first half with good pressing. Crystal Palace were contained in their half by the hosts for the majority of the game and never looked a threat to David De Gea.
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Rangnick fielded the same squad that recorded a 3-2 win over Arsenal on Friday. Though he played them in an innovative 4-2-2-2 formation, the players delivered again.
Though Manchester United were the better side in the first half, Crystal Palace grew into the game in the second. They had a great chance in the 75th minute when Jordan Ayew's low-cross fizzled across the face of goal. But no Palace player could get the decisive touch.
Alex Telles, starting for the fourth game in a row across all competitions, hit the crossbar with a direct free-kick in the 68th minute. United finally had a break when Mason Greenwood drew a crowd of Palace defenders to him inside the box. He managed to maintain his composure to find Fred just outside the box.
The Brazilian midfielder connected sweetly with his curling effort. Vicente Guaita was finally beaten for the night as the unstoppable strike curled beautifully into the top right corner of the goal.
As the Rangnick era kicks off with a much-needed win, here we take a look at the five talking points from the game.
#5 Manchester United implement efficient press in the first half
Manchester United looked like a highly improved side in the first half. One thing that stood out from a great performance in the first 45 minutes of the game was their pressing.
The attackers chased down every loose ball. They made use of their high energy levels in the initial stages of the game to put pressure on the visiting side. The plan seemed to have paid off as Crystal Palace committed a few errors early on.
Cristiano Ronaldo and Marcus Rashford remained around the box at the start. However, as the game went on they reverted to creating chances from crosses and lobbed balls.
Manchester United also won possession in the final third 12 times against Crystal Palace, a stat bettered only under Sir Alex Ferguson.
#4 Rangnick's approach unlocks the attacking potential for the hosts
Ralf Rangnick might've had just a few training sessions with his team before the Premier League game against Crystal Palace. But in the brief period, he was able to bring about a change in their approach on the field.
Manchester United created more passes into the final third (77, as per Squawka) against Palace than any other team in the Premier League this season. Fred, the goalscorer, attempted more passes (72) than any other player on the pitch.
Rangnick's 4-2-2-2 formation is unique but allows for balance in midfield and attack, with Fred and Scott McTominay helping out in defense. Bruno Fernandes and Jadon Sancho were given the freedom to create and Ronaldo and Rashford complemented each other in the final third.
#3 Manchester United keep the first clean sheet at Old Trafford this season
David De Gea was not busy tonight apart from Ayew's cross which went right across the face of the goal. It never looked like Manchester United were going to concede against Crystal Palace.
De Gea made a couple of easy saves in the first half. Despite a resurgence by the visitors in the second half, he kept the first clean sheet of the Premier League 2021-22 campaign at Old Trafford.
Manchester United had conceded a goal in five of their last six outings across all competitions ahead of the game. So a clean sheet alongside a win will go a long way in boosting morale ahead of a kind run of fixtures this month.
#2 Full-back duo of Alex Telles and Diogo Dalot continue to impress at both ends of the pitch
Alex Telles and Diogo Dalot have started in the last two games for Manchester United, which has resulted in a win for them. While that might just be a coincidence, the duo racked up impressive stats against Crystal Palace.
Telles rattled the crossbar with a free-kick. He was impressive down the left flank and saw more of the ball than anyone else on the pitch (105 touches). He won three out of his seven attempted tackles in the game and also made two interceptions. In the attack, he attempted nine crosses, though only two of them found their targets.
Dalot was more effective with his distribution and completed 88% of his passes. He had one key pass to his name and also won three tackles at the back.
The two players are technically back-ups for Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Luke Shaw. But they just might've done enough to impress the new boss to keep their place in the upcoming games.
#1 Manchester United show a lot of potential for improvement
Manchester United looked an improved side in this outing against Crystal Palace. Ralf Rangnick could not have asked for a better start to his career here in front of the fans.
The players pressed efficiently in the first half and the full-backs provided much-needed width. There was a sense of solidarity at the back and they did not commit any errors in the defensive third.
As with any new manager, there is still a lot of scope for improvement in the team under Rangnick. The crosses into the box were not accurate. Despite having more passes into the final third than any other Premier League game, the quality was not there.
The idea of playing Ronaldo and Rashford up front is good but it's not yet clear how the two could complement each other. They were effective in their pressing but only combined for a single shot on target. Rashford had no shots to his name while Ronaldo could only hit the target with one of his five attempts.
