No heart to hit top-four target

targeted but it was not hard to work out who he meant. “There are people that will have a bad dinner [tonight],” he said. “There are people that will enjoy a nice dinner and there will even be people that maybe will party.” No names but Mourinho left Marcus Rashford out of his starting XI and lost patience with Paul Pogba and Jesse Lingard during the second half. Pogba was poor, producing an error-strewn display which repeatedly interrupted any head of steam United were able to build. Both sides had goals disallowed either side of half-time, as Cheikhou Kouyate strayed offside when meeting Patrick van Aanholt’s free-kick, before Romelu Lukaku picked up the pieces after Ashley Young’s shot was parried into his path from an offside position.

Lukaku, who has not scored since September, also had a header saved well by Wayne Hennessey. Yet it was Palace who should have secured the points given the chances they created, with Van Aanholt and Andros Townsend spurning the best of them.

This was a second point for Roy Hodgson’s side from a run of four fixtures against Arsenal, Chelsea, Tottenham and Manchester United. With Burnley, Brighton and West Ham on the horizon, things should get easier.

But Hodgson said: “If the players think it’s going to be easier in some way against Burnley, Cardiff, West Ham and Brighton, they are making a huge mistake and they will be told that in no uncertain terms.”

MANCHESTER UNITED (4-2-3-1): NEXT UP: CRYSTAL PALACE (4-4-2): NEXT UP: Referee: Booked: Booked: