The Courier & Advertiser (Angus and Dundee)
No Palace red carpet as United draw blank for third game in row
Manchester United fired a third consecutive blank and had to settle for a point at Crystal Palace to all but see their Premier League title challenge end.
A day after rivals Manchester City made it 21 wins in a row to open up a 15-point gap at the top, the Red Devils were left frustrated in a goalless draw with the Eagles and have won only one of their last five matches in the division.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side have now gone 285 minutes without a goal heading into Sunday’s derby at the Etihad.
● Kasper Schmeichel came to injury-ravaged Leicester’s rescue with some vital saves at Burnley as the Foxes avoided three successive defeats for the first time under Brendan Rodgers.
After Matej Vydra’s first league goal in more than a year was cancelled out by Kelechi Iheanacho’s fantastic first-half volley, Schmeichel came to the fore for a Leicester side without several first-team players.
Schmeichel kept out headers from James Tarkowski and Chris Wood before Ashley Westwood hit a post and although Leicester rallied late on, the sides settled for a 1-1 draw.
● Sheffield United showed there is fight left in them yet after battling with 10 men for more than half an hour to win 1-0 against Aston Villa.
David Mcgoldrick’s first-half goal put the bottom-of-the-table Blades in front but they faced an uphill task to hang on to that lead when Phil Jagielka was sent off early in the second half.
But the remaining 10 Blades stood firm and defended solidly and will feel they have kept alive their faint hopes of pulling off the greatest of escapes with a 12-point chasm left to bridge in the remaining 11 matches.