As the second half began, a banner appeared in the Stretford End that read: “MUFC proudly colonised by immigrants”. If this was a riposte to Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s assertion that these shores have been overrun by those from overseas (for which the co-owner half-heartedly apologised), Manchester United needed their own reply to a listless opening period that left them trailing to Maxence Lacroix’s early header.
Eleven minutes after the restart, they found one.
First came Lacroix’s sending-off, issued by Chris Kavanagh after a monitor review for yanking over Matheus Cunha. The contact started before the 18‑yard line but continued into the area, so the referee followed up awarding a spot‑kick by showing the red. Fernandes beat Dean Henderson to the left of the Crystal Palace No 1, who guessed wrong.
This pitted the captain against his former United teammate. “I worked with him,” Fernandes said. “He even told me at the end that he wanted to go to the same side as he did last week [when stopping Tolu Arokodare’s kick for Wolves] and save it. Lucky, he went to the other side.”
Oliver Glasner had a cute way of complaining the penalty should not have been awarded, saying it was due “to the Old Trafford bounce”, his (misguided) argument being that the action had been outside the area.
The Palace manager said: “It is decisive when you are 1-0 up and then concede a penalty and then have one player less. The foul was outside the box and should be given where it starts. Matheus Cunha was very clever. We tried everything to get the equaliser and we were in good situations four or five times.”
When Fernandes and Benjamin Sesko intervened next, United went ahead. A weak Palace clearance dropped on the toes of Fernandes, who crossed from the right. Sesko, far hungrier than Jaydee Canvot, beat the defender Canvot to a header that powered beyond Henderson’s left hand, and the Slovene had a ninth United goal and a seventh in his past eight appearances.
United were a red swarm. The moribund first 45 minutes a mystery that would baffle Miss Marple, and when Sesko was replaced by Amad Diallo in the 72nd minute he was serenaded, as Michael Carrick’s men cantered to the final whistle.
They are up to third, on goal difference, after accruing 19 from 21 points under Carrick. After the dire 15th-place finish of last season the trajectory is skywards, for which the interim manager warrants serious credit. Of United’s position, he said: “It doesn’t mean an awful lot at the moment. We want to keep progressing.”
Palace had required a mere four minutes to breach their hosts. Brennan Johnson floated a corner in from the left, Leny Yoro lost Lacroix and he headed across a melee to beat Senne Lammens via the goalkeeper’s right post.
This was the earliest United have conceded under Carrick – or this season – so a new test for his side. It could have become sterner when Daniel Muñoz raided along the right and fed Ismaïla Sarr, his fierce shot parried by Lammens.
This was an indication of a Glasner’s ploy to come at United along their flanks, where Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo needed to help their full‑backs, Luke Shaw and Diogo Dalot. The Brazilian and the Cameroonian operated in their usual wide positions (left and right) due to a rejigged frontline caused by Sesko’s stellar form forcing him into the XI – for Diallo – at No 9. Of this Carrick said: “It wasn’t that big of a decision. Benjamin is in a good place and he has had a major impact in recent weeks.”
Palace had won their previous two outings since Glasner’s declaration that he was “not good enough” for the role. Perhaps reverse psychology was in play because, at this stage, the Austrian’s men bested their opponents.
After 23 minutes Shaw was forced off feeling ill – as was Harry Maguire later – so Noussair Mazraoui replaced the left-back: further disruption to a unit who were a mishmash of errant passes, sluggish challenges and poor imagination, unable to pierce the Eagles, for whom Henderson cruised between their posts.
Yet when Mbeumo dropped in a corner Maguire’s header was goalbound before it hit Sarr, and moments later Sesko was thwarted by a Palace boot when unloading: encouragement for United.
More followed in forays that featured Mazraoui’s effort being inadvertently blocked by Cunha, Sesko heading a Fernandes cross into Henderson’s gloves, and a Fernandes ball in demanding Sesko dart to the near post. The home captain began to run the show. Henderson tipped over his dipping free-kick and his next landed on Casemiro’s head, though the Brazilian missed.
United’s second-half turnaround ensued. It closed with a sweet Diallo swivel-and-shot that had Henderson flying right to steer behind, emphasising further how dominant Carrick’s men became.
