Manchester United 3-1 Crystal Palace: Five talking points as Martial, Rashford and Sancho make it three wins in three

Manchester United registered a comfortable 3-1 victory against Crystal Palace in a friendly fixture at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Tuesday, July 19. The victory made it three wins from as many games this pre-season.

Goals from Anthony Martial, Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho put the Red Devils in a commanding position. Joel Ward then scored a consolation goal for Palace.

Manchester United broke the deadlock after 17 minutes through Martial. The move began with Tyrell Malacia on the left, who whipped in the ball to the edge of the box. Diogo Dalot did well to bring it under his control. He lobbed it to the Frenchman, who showed excellent chest control before finishing past the goalkeeper.

Skipper Harry Maguire, who was booed by the crowd for the majority of the match, did well to stop Jesurun Rak-Sayki from equalizing immediately after.

Manchester United had a chance to double their lead before halftime when Rashford's well-timed cross failed to pick out a teammate.

The Red Devils added another goal minutes into the second half.

Martial showed lovely first touch to tee up from Donny van de Beek, who put it on a plate for Rashford. The Englishman made no mistake in putting the ball into the back of the net. It was a lovely team goal, one that got manager Erik ten Hag applauding on the touchline.

Manchester United added a third just past the hour mark when Martial's delightful through ball put Sancho through. Unchallenged, the winger dispatched his right-footed effort beyond Remi Matthews to make it 3-0.

Joel Ward celebrates after scoring against Manchester United.

Palace got a goal back when Ward's header from Luka Milivojevic’s corner squeezed past David de Gea at the near post.

Young Will Fish, on as a late substitute for United, was sent off in the closing minutes. He picked up a red card for a last-ditch foul on Victor Akinwale, denying the Eagles forward a goalscoring chance.

On that note, here are five talking points from Manchester United's win over Crystal Palace:

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1) Could Anthony Martial resurrect his Manchester United career?

Anthony Martial’s United career was said to be done and dusted when he was shipped out on loan to Sevilla mid-way through last season. He failed to impress in Spain, scoring just one goal in 12 matches.

He returned to England with nothing to show. The club’s links with signing Ajax winger Antony (via Mirror) were expected to permanently draw curtains on Martial's future with the club.

However, the Frenchman has roared back to life in unexpected fashion in the pre-season.

After scoring just twice in 23 appearances across the 2021-22 season, he has now scored three goals in 107 minutes this pre-season. He became the first player to score in three consecutive pre-season matches for the Red Devils since Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney in 2007.

The central role and ten Hag’s tactics seem to have breathed new life into his return to Old Trafford.

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2) Full-backs key for Erik ten Hag’s Manchester United

Any avid follower of the Eredivisie and Ajax will know that Ten Hag’s system call for attacking full-backs. At Ajax last season, Noussair Mazraoui and Nicolas Tagliafico chipped in with 11 goal contributions in 34 league games.

While the Dutchman’s career with the Red Devils is in its infancy, the signs look promising. The club's opening goal against Palace showed exactly how potent wide defenders can be when the system works.

Malacia switched the ball to Dalot on the opposite flank and the Portuguese right-back’s excellent dink found Martial, who finished past the goalkeeper.

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3) Will will be the top two center-backs?

Every touch of Harry Maguire was booed by fans in Melbourne, seemingly a carry-on from last season. The Manchester United skipper made no friends with his poor form and eventual reaction to the criticism.

However, he has been good, if not spectacular, under Ten Hag and has also been confirmed to stay on as the captain.

Then there’s Raphael Varane. Signed from Real Madrid last summer, he was expected to make the Red Devils’ defense water-tight. However, injuries meant he spent a major chunk of the season on the sidelines. In fact, his 1829 minutes of playing time in the Premier League last season was the lowest return of his career since the 2013-14 season.

Lisandro Martinez has now arrived from Ajax for an eye-catching €57.37 million, with €10 million more in potential add-ons. He is expected to start soon, owing to his familiarity with ten Hag’s tactics from their time at Ajax.

Victor Lindelof will also look to make an impact to get a starting spot under the Dutch manager.

Two spots, four interesting options. Who will be forced to settle for a spot on the bench?

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4) Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho excel as wingers/wide forwards

Martial has done well in the pre-season so far thanks to the support Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho have provided him from either flank. The three players have contributed seven goals this pre-season. The club can once again go back to the days of having a potent attacking trio capable of breaking any defense.

The three attackers have been thriving under Ten Hag.

There are three more games left before Manchester United face Brighton & Hove Albion in their Premier League opener on August 7. However, if they maintain this form then the front three spots on the team sheet pick themselves.

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5) Where does Cristiano Ronaldo fit in this Manchester United?

This brings us to Cristiano Ronaldo. He made his desire to leave the club known (via The Sun). He has been linked with a bevy of clubs with no actual move materializing.

The Portuguese has missed the pre-season so far due to personal reasons, as shared by the club.

If and when Ronaldo returns, he will perhaps not walk into this team as he has been used to in the past. While the 37-year-old is still the club’s best finisher, Ten Hag’s Manchester United functions best as a sum of parts.

Will Ronaldo get his transfer or will he stay on to be a round peg for a team with square holes? Only time will tell.