Marouane Fellaini’s first Manchester United brace helped Jose Mourinho’s men to another comprehensive victory, leaving Crystal Palace reeling from a seventh straight Premier League defeat without so much as a goal.
Saturday’s Old Trafford encounter was a complete mismatch between two teams on opposing trajectories.
Fellaini’s double was sandwiched between Juan Mata and Romelu Lukaku goals in a comprehensive 4-0 win that saw United equal their record tally of 19 points after seven Premier League matches as embattled Palace fell to another loss.
TWEET OF THE MATCH
Former Manchester United defender Phil Neville posted a picture of Lionel Messi’s face superimposed over Fellaini’s body.
STAR MAN
Marcus Rashford. Another eye-catching display from United’s teenage England star, in which he produced two fine assists. He comprehensively got the better of Joel Ward on the left before providing the cutback from which Mata opened the scoring, and delivered an excellent free-kick – as David Beckham watched on from the stands – that Fellaini headed in for his second goal.
The young Englishman again stood out.
VIEW FROM THE DUGOUT
Quite simply, what a contrast. United boss Mourinho appeared annoyed once or twice at things he saw on the field, and had to dry his hair with a towel at one point, but this wet afternoon could hardly have gone much better for him as his unbeaten team ascended to the top of the table. Hodgson, meanwhile, was suitably gloomy-looking throughout. There was little really in this latest defeat for goalless, rock-bottom Palace – playing most of the contest with Bakary Sako as a makeshift striker, in the absence of the injured Christian Benteke – to suggest they have anything other than a long, hard battle for survival ahead of them. That’s nine goals conceded in their last two matches, with a clash with champions Chelsea up next.
Mourinho won the touchline battle.
DATA POINT
This match saw Palace equal Portsmouth’s Premier League record of seven straight losses from the start of 2009/10. United scored four times in a game for the sixth time in all competitions this season.
RATINGS
MANCHESTER UNITED
David de Gea – 6
Antonio Valencia – 6
Phil Jones – 6
Chris Smalling – 6
Ashley Young – 7
Nemanja Matic – 7
Marouane Fellaini – 8
Juan Mata – 7
Henrikh Mkhitaryan – 6
Marcus Rashford- 8
Romelu Lukaku – 7
Substitutes:
Jesse Lingard (for Mkhitaryan, 66) – 6
Anthony Martial (for Rashford, 72) – 7
Ander Herrera (for Mata, 77) – 7
CRYSTAL PALACE
Wayne Hennessey – 6
Joel Ward – 5
Mamadou Sakho – 5
Damien Delaney – 5
Patrick van Aanholt – 5
Luka Milivojevic – 5
Yohan Cabaye – 5
Andros Townsend – 5
Jason Puncheon – 5
Jeffrey Schlupp – 5
Bakary Sako – 5
Substitutes:
James McArthur (for Schlupp, 68) – 5
Jairo Riedewald (for Puncheon, 69) – 5
Freddie Ladapo (for Sako, 74) – 5
WHO’S UP NEXT?
Liverpool v Manchester United (Premier League, October 14)
Crystal Palace v Chelsea (Premier League, October 14)