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Rob Dawson, Correspondent
MANCHESTER, England — Old Trafford experienced a moment of tranquility on Tuesday during a 90-minute game.
Manchester United cruised past Crystal Palace, securing a spot in the fourth round of the Carabao Cup with a comfortable 3-0 victory. This win marks Erik ten Hag’s team’s first consecutive victories this season.
Sofyan Amrabat, who made his debut as a midfielder-turned-fullback, showcased an impressive performance for Man United. Additionally, academy graduate Dan Gore celebrated his 19th birthday by earning his senior debut.
Ten Hag took advantage of the opportunity to award playing time to Harry Maguire and Anthony Martial, who scored the third goal, while giving Bruno Fernandes and Marcus Rashford a night off. This moment of respite comes after a chaotic start to the season filled with crises.
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“It was a good night, definitely,” expressed Ten Hag. “We dominated the game, had some good attacks, controlled possession, and created scoring opportunities.”
The Carabao Cup already provided Ten Hag with his most successful day as Man United’s manager when he won it last season. He hopes that initiating the defense of the trophy can act as a turning point for a struggling United side this season.
Palace will return to Old Trafford in the Premier League on Saturday, commencing a series of five United home games before the end of October. With five out of six upcoming games taking place at Old Trafford across all competitions, now is the time for Ten Hag and his players to stabilize their performance.
Ten Hag yearns for a calm month and for another club to hold the title of the Premier League’s crisis team. Last season around this time, United began an impressive winning streak, propelling them towards contention for the top four and, albeit briefly, into the title race.
Currently sitting ninth in the table after six games, Ten Hag would likely be content with trailing behind Manchester City, Liverpool, Brighton, and Tottenham.
“The mood is always positive, but of course, there is disappointment and frustration when you’re not winning at United. However, the team spirit always remains,” Ten Hag remarked. “Yet, we acknowledge that we’re not in the desired position. Therefore, we must rebuild, catch up, and focus on the process and the outcomes.”
United halted a streak of three consecutive defeats with a 1-0 league victory over Burnley on Saturday, although vulnerabilities were still evident at Turf Moor.
However, Palace never posed a significant threat, and when Nathaniel Clyne’s rare attempt soared high into the stands in the second half, the traveling Palace fans in the corner of the stadium cheerfully chanted, “We’ve had a shot, we’ve had a shot.”
“The game played out in a way that United maintained complete control for extended periods,” stated Palace manager Roy Hodgson. “We initially set up our tactics to challenge this match. However, we have to acknowledge that tonight didn’t go as planned.”
Palace’s debutant goalkeeper Dean Henderson, who joined from United for £15m in the summer, was forced off due to injury within the first 20 minutes. It was one of those unfortunate nights where luck eluded them.
In the later stages of the game, midfielder and second-half substitute David Ozoh missed a golden opportunity to score a consolation goal by dragging his shot wide. At that point, the Palace fans had chosen to embrace the humor and chanted, “We score when we want.”
During this season, there have been instances where opposing teams seemed capable of scoring at will against United, as witnessed against Brighton and Bayern Munich. Consequently, despite the joy of United’s three goals, Ten Hag takes equal satisfaction in achieving a second clean sheet in four days.
All attention was initially on Harry Maguire, who made his first start of the season, but he flawlessly executed his role and made a crucial interception in the six-yard box to deny striker Jean-Philippe Mateta a tap-in when the score was 0-0.
Ten Hag also commended Mason Mount, who rejoined the team for 45 minutes, and Amrabat, who adeptly filled in at left-back and in the center of midfield.
“This versatility is one of the reasons we recruited him,” commented Ten Hag about Amrabat. “He can contribute wherever the team requires him to play.”
The ongoing Jadon Sancho saga and injuries sidelining key players like Luke Shaw and Lisandro Martínez persist. Therefore, for Ten Hag, it is rare to sit down after a game and speak positively about his team and players.
Although he acknowledged the work that lies ahead in rebuilding the season and cautioned the team against complacency, it remained a night where the United manager went home content.
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