Manchester United and Cristiano Ronaldo secured a hard-fought 1-0 win over Crystal Palace in Ralf Rangnick's first game in charge at Old Trafford. A second-half goal from Fred was enough to secure all three points for the Red Devils.
Manchester United looked like a different team under the management of Rangnick. The Red Devils looked much more lively in attack and were seen pressing the ball a lot more compared to the times under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. Even Cristiano Ronaldo was seen pressing the ball when not in possession, something which was a major question mark prior to the game.
Manchester United also dominated possession, having the ball for 62% of the game. Rangnick's side also took more shots than usual.
Manchester United fans online were pleased to see their side press, something they haven't done in a while. Here are some of the best tweets from the night:
Despite the improvement in football being played against Crystal Palace, Manchester United found it hard to break down the resilient defense set up by Patrick Vieira. The Red Devils were guilty of taking most of their shots from outside the area, which did not trouble Vicente Guaita in goal.
However, Brazilian midfielder Fred finally opened the scoring for Manchester United with a well-placed shot from the edge of the area at the 78th-minute mark. Mason Greenwood cut the ball back to Fred, who placed the ball into the back of the net with his right foot.
The win takes Manchester United up to sixth in the Premier League standings. The Red Devils have picked up 24 points from their 15 games in the league. Manchester United are, however, still behind the likes of West Ham, Arsenal and Tottenham in the standings.
Cristiano Ronaldo blanked in Ralf Rangnick's first game in charge of Manchester United
Cristiano Ronaldo could not put the ball into the back of the net in Ralf Rangnick's first game in charge of Manchester United. The 36-year-old forward failed to carry forward his good goalscoring form after scoring a brace against Arsenal in midweek.
Ronaldo was tightly marked by the Crystal Palace defenders which resulted in him having a quiet game. The five-time Ballon d'Or winner took five shots in the game. However, only one of Ronaldo's efforts was on target.
Despite his relatively underwhelming game, Cristiano Ronaldo remains Manchester United's top goalscorer this season. The 36-year-old forward has scored 12 goals in 17 games for the Red Devils.