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#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.
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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.
