UNITED DRAW MORE BLANKS
Goal drought is now over f ive hours
THIS should not happen to Manchester United. It is now 325 minutes without a goal for Louis van Gaal’s team. Admittedly, statistics do not always paint an accurate picture.
This time, however, they are bang on the money. This United team is severely lacking.
Defensively, once again, they showed their worth by keeping a clean sheet. At the other end, this was another woeful display. No invention. No guile. No imagination.
It was a performance to justify assertions from Paul Scholes and beyond that this is one of the most humdrum United outfits in recent memory.
Asked if the drought was down to a mental block, van Gaal replied: ‘I cannot see that. I don’t think so. When I see the characters, I don’t think they doubt their quality.
‘It can change in one match and let it be versus CSKA Moscow next week because we need a victory.’
Despite the negativity around United, they went to Selhurst Park knowing they could end the day top of the Barclays Premier League. Yet they were lucky to come away with just a point.
Within two minutes, David de Gea was forced into action; saving from Dwight Gayle after right-back Matteo Darmian’s mistake.
The United keeper then got a touch on Yannick Bolasie’s half-volley in the 11th minute to divert the strike on to the underside of the bar.
De Gea was called into action again from Yohan Cabaye’s corner, tipping over Scott Dann’s header. United were on the ropes just 15 minutes into the game.
Palace boss Alan Pardew had his own worries. Three consecutive defeats had halted the home side’s impressive start to the season.
Yet, on the evidence of yesterday’s display, the sequence has not affected their confidence.
Wayne Rooney’s overhit free-kick in the 19th minute summed up United’s start.
Once more, van Gaal persisted with his captain in the central striking position, as Anthony Martial continued on the left.
The Dutchman may have been pondering his decision after 20 minutes. Slowly, United gained a foothold. Rooney saw his free-kick comfortably held by Wayne Hennessey in the 25th minute before failing to control Martial’s defencesplitting pass in the 32nd minute.
Likewise, had Ander Herrera managed a sweeter connection with another Martial pass on the stroke of half-time, then van Gaal’s coffee at the interval would have been more to his liking.
The United boss knew his side’s start had done little to quell the growing disdain towards their style of play. There is quality in this United team. Somewhere, though, it is getting lost in translation.
Their football in the second half was just as pedestrian. Palace, with wingers Bolasie and Wilfried Zaha were anything but.
Ashley Young replaced Darmian midway through the second half as van Gaal looked to inject impetus into his struggling team. Marouane Fellaini was introduced in place of Bastian Schweinsteiger, while Rooney shifted over to the left as Martial was given a chance to prove his worth through the middle.
Van Gaal hoped his changes would breathe life into his team — so did United’s supporters, who broke into a chant of ‘attack, attack, attack’ as their frustration grew.
On another day, United may have had a penalty as Herrera fell in the box under pressure from Damien Delaney. But United would not have deserved it.
Palace missed three chances in the closing stages to secure the win they merited. First, Cabaye sent his effort wide after Joel Ward’s cross before de Gea bailed his team out again with a decent save from Gayle after Young’s heroic tackle to deny Bolasie.
Dann then saw another header float narrowly wide of de Gea’s far post as Palace looked for a winner.
Martial had a goal-bound shot blocked by the excellent Delaney, who himself missed a chance to secure all three points for Palace.