Ranking Manchester United's 5 best players against Crystal Palace | Premier League 2021-22
Ralf Rangnick took charge of Manchester United for the first time as the Red Devils hosted Crystal Palace in the Premier League on Sunday afternoon.
The former RB Leipzig manager may have only been appointed as Manchester United’s interim manager, but he seems to have some big plans for the English giants.
On Premier League matchday 15, Crystal Palace experienced Rangnick’s flavor of relentless pressing football and eventually succumbed to a 1-0 defeat at Old Trafford.
Manchester United lined up in a 4-2-2-2 formation and put pressure on practically everything that moved. Rangnick’s pressing rocked Crystal Palace in the first half, keeping them from creating clear-cut opportunities.
Jordan Ayew had the best opportunity of the match to hit the back of the net in the second half. Unfortunately for the visitors, he dragged his shot well wide of the target.
Rejuvenated by Palace’s blunder, Manchester United scored the winner just minutes later, with Fred curling the ball home from the edge of the box. Thanks to the Brazilian, Rangnick’s Manchester United era got off to a winning start, propelling United to sixth position in the Premier League.
Here are the five top performers for Manchester United in their slender Premier League win over Crystal Palace:
#5 Cristiano Ronaldo
These days, everyone considers Cristiano Ronaldo to be an out-and-out goalscorer. On Sunday, he proved that he can still bring a couple more traits to the table.
Ronaldo contributed to Manchester United’s pressing play and even dropped deep to help out at the back when needed. Against Crystal Palace, the Manchester United number 7 completed three clearances, impressing his new boss.
Cristiano Ronaldo never stops silencing his critics 😌 https://t.co/nWOjf7HOPt
In the first half, Ronaldo was at the heart of every encouraging piece of play and tried to keep the Palace players guessing. Unfortunately, only one of his five attempts was on target, while two were blocked by the opposition.
#4 Mason Greenwood
Manchester United golden boy Mason Greenwood was left on the bench against Crystal Palace on Sunday. But when Jadon Sancho struggled to influence the game, Greenwood came on as the most obvious substitute.
Is it me or y'all think that Mason Greenwood's most underrated part of his game is his hold-up play ?
For me yeah. https://t.co/nekCp5uokf
Greenwood did not do anything groundbreaking during his 30-minute stint, but his presence of mind did wonders for Fred’s goal.
Despite being under pressure from several Palace defenders, Greenwood had the composure to find Fred outside the D. The Brazilian’s weak foot took care of the rest.