Starting Lineups
Substitutes
- 1 - Altay Bayındır
- 3 - Noussair Mazraoui
- 12 - Tyrell Malacia
- 16 - Amad
- 25 - Manuel Ugarte
- 26 - Ayden Heaven
- 11 - Joshua Zirkzee
- 48 - Jack Moorhouse
- 39 - Tyler Fletcher
- 44 - Benítez
- 17 - Clyne
- 55 - Devenny
- 19 - Will Hughes
- 10 - Yeremy Pino
- 34 - Riad
- 24 - Sosa
- 12 - Uche
- 29 - Guessand
Substitutions
- 24' 🔻 Luke Shaw → 🔺 Noussair Mazraoui
- 75' 🔻 Benjamin Šeško → 🔺 Amad
- 85' 🔻 Harry Maguire → 🔺 Ayden Heaven
- 85' 🔻 Bryan Mbeumo → 🔺 Joshua Zirkzee
- 58' 🔻 Brennan Johnson → 🔺 Riad
- 58' 🔻 Jørgen Strand Larsen → 🔺 Guessand
- 68' 🔻 Adam Wharton → 🔺 Will Hughes
- 85' 🔻 Daichi Kamada → 🔺 Yeremy Pino
Šeško’s First Start Rewards Carrick’s Faith as United Come From Behind to Go Third
Manchester United’s revival under Michael Carrick faced its most familiar test at Old Trafford: a home fixture against a team in crisis, the expectation of comfortable dominance, and an early sucker punch that threatened to unravel everything. Crystal Palace, depleted and dysfunctional, took the lead inside four minutes. United were sloppy for half an hour. And yet by full time, a dominant second-half display had delivered a 2-1 comeback victory, lifting United to third in the Premier League table.
The result extends Carrick’s unbeaten run to seven matches (six wins, one draw) and provides the clearest evidence yet that this squad has learned how to respond when things go wrong.
Tactical Setup
Carrick made one change from the 1-0 win at Everton, and it was the one that had been debated for weeks. Benjamin Šeško, scorer of three goals in United’s last four matches as a substitute, was given his first start under the interim manager, replacing Amad in the XI. Mbeumo shifted from centre-forward to the right wing, with Šeško leading the line. The shape remained a 4-2-3-1: Casemiro and Mainoo in the double pivot, Bruno behind Šeško, Cunha providing width on the left.
“It’s not a gamble. It wasn’t that big of a decision. Benjamin is in a good place and he has had a major impact in recent weeks. He’s learning what it feels like to play here.”
- Michael Carrick, on the decision to start Benjamin Šeško
Oliver Glasner set Palace up in a 3-4-2-1 with Strand Larsen leading the line, flanked by Sarr and Brennan Johnson. Wharton and Kamada provided the midfield base, with Mitchell and Muñoz as wing-backs. Former United goalkeeper Dean Henderson captained the visitors, and the Old Trafford crowd made their feelings about that clear.
Palace arrived in a state of disarray. Glasner has announced he will leave at the end of the season, publicly criticised recruitment, and drawn the ire of the club’s own supporters. Captain Marc Guehi was sold to Manchester City in January for £20m with just six months remaining on his contract. This was a team in transition, playing on tired legs after a Conference League fixture on Thursday. And yet, remarkably, they were on course for a third straight Premier League win at Old Trafford.
First Half: A Familiar Scare
Lacroix’s looping header from a corner after just four minutes handed Palace the lead and the initiative. Lammens was planted on his line, Yoro was beaten in the air, and suddenly a Palace team happy to sit deep and frustrate had exactly the platform they wanted.
United’s response was poor. Passes went astray without pressure. Dalot overhit crosses and was booked for a stretched challenge. Šeško had just seven touches in the opening 45 minutes, the fewest of any player on the pitch, a damning reflection of United’s inability to get the ball to their striker.
The injury to Shaw on 22 minutes compounded the frustration. Muñoz went in late and Shaw had to be replaced by Mazraoui before the half-hour. With Lisandro Martínez already sidelined, the loss of Shaw, who has been ever-present this season, is a significant concern.
United did begin to stir from around the 30th minute. Maguire headed a corner on target, only for Sarr to block on the line. Bruno whipped a cross onto Šeško’s head, but Henderson saved comfortably. Casemiro headed just wide from a corner when he should have done better. By the interval, United were bossing proceedings but had nothing to show for it: 0.34 xG to Palace’s 0.19, still trailing on the scoreboard.
Second Half: The Turnaround
United emerged for the second period with purpose and intensity. Mbeumo and Šeško both had efforts blocked within two minutes. Henderson was booked for time-wasting from the resulting goal kick, the referee losing patience with Palace’s delaying tactics.
The decisive moment arrived on 52 minutes. Cunha latched onto a Bruno through ball and drove towards the penalty area. Lacroix grabbed at him, making first contact outside the box but continuing to hold as Cunha entered the area. A penalty was given. After a four-minute VAR review, referee Kavanagh stood by his initial decision and added a red card for denial of an obvious goal-scoring opportunity. Lacroix, Palace’s goalscorer, walked.
Bruno Fernandes stepped up and rolled the ball into the bottom right corner, sending Henderson the wrong way. 1-1.
The Winner
With Palace reduced to ten men and the crowd sensing blood, the question was not whether United would take the lead but when. The answer came on 65 minutes, through the combination Carrick had built his entire team selection around.
A half-clearance fell to Fernandes on the edge of the area. His first touch was simple but expert, and the cross that followed was superb: arcing, dipping, inviting. In the penalty area, Šeško had separated from Canvot, timed his leap perfectly, and powered a header into the bottom right corner. 2-1.
A goal in three successive matches. Seven in his last eight. His first as a starter under Carrick. The definitive answer to the question that had dominated the pre-match build-up: yes, he is ready to lead the line from the start.
“Delighted for Ben. Not been a headache, not been a big deal. Getting used to what it is like to be here. Desperate to do well. Works so hard. Pleasure to work with.”
- Michael Carrick, on Benjamin Šeško’s performance and development
Closing Stages
Where the Everton victory required a white-knuckle defensive rearguard, this was altogether more comfortable, though not without its moments. Bruno continued to pull strings with the authority of a man in form. Casemiro volleyed from a corner on 73 minutes, drawing another save from Henderson.
Carrick replaced Šeško with Amad on 75 minutes, the striker having done his job. Palace, for all their numerical disadvantage, showed spirit: Mitchell fired wide from distance on 84 minutes, and there were spells of possession in United’s half that hinted at a late twist.
Maguire was withdrawn to a standing ovation on 85 minutes, heading straight down the tunnel, a possible injury concern that will need monitoring. In stoppage time, United pushed for a third through Amad, Mainoo, and Zirkzee, but Henderson and Palace’s defenders held firm. The third goal would not come. It did not need to.
“The performance was how we want to play and we had enough good situations. We have to congratulate them. They were winning and in the end, they deserved it.”
- Oliver Glasner, on the match and the penalty decision
Individual Performances
| Player | Assessment |
|---|---|
| Bruno Fernandes | The penalty was taken with customary composure, but it was his all-round second-half display that set this match apart. The first touch before the Šeško cross was a reminder of his quality. He pulled the strings, found spaces, and drove United forward when they needed inspiration most. Remains the most important player at the club. |
| Benjamin Šeško | Answered every question with his second-half performance. Seven goals in eight matches, three successive games on the scoresheet. The super-sub has graduated. |
| Harry Maguire | United’s best defender for the second consecutive match. He headed, blocked, and marshalled a back line reshuffled by Shaw’s early departure. His substitution on 85 minutes and immediate departure down the tunnel will be a worry. United cannot afford to lose another starting centre-back with Martínez and De Ligt already out. |
| Kobbie Mainoo | Has become the barometer of United’s performance under Carrick. The first-half torpor coincided with his relative anonymity. The second-half surge was built, in part, on his ability to receive, turn, and drive the play forward. |
| Dean Henderson | Made several good saves and tried every trick in the book to frustrate his former club. There was a competitive edge to his performance that bordered on antagonism. He will feel he did his job, even in defeat. |
The Bigger Picture
This is the first time United have been as high as third since Erik ten Hag’s first season in charge in 2022-23. More than the result, it is the manner of this comeback that matters. United have developed a habit of reaching positions of expected dominance and failing to convert them. This match tested that tendency directly, and United responded not with panic but with patience.
The parallel with the reverse fixture is instructive. At Selhurst Park earlier in the season, United came from behind at half-time to win 2-1 against a Palace side who had also played in Europe on the Thursday. That win came under different circumstances and a different manager, but the pattern of resilience, composure, and the ability to grind out results against teams who sit deep and frustrate is becoming a hallmark of Carrick’s tenure.
The injury to Shaw casts a shadow. With Martínez already out, United’s defensive depth is being tested at the worst possible time. If Maguire’s tunnel departure proves to be anything more than precautionary, the situation becomes more acute still.
Verdict
A game of two halves in the truest sense. The first thirty minutes were as poor as anything United have produced under Carrick. The second half was as good as anything they have produced: controlled, purposeful, and clinical when the chances came.
Šeško’s promotion to the starting XI was vindicated. Bruno Fernandes reminded everyone of his enduring importance. Maguire continues to defy his doubters with performances of defensive excellence.
Seven unbeaten. Six wins. Third in the table. The revival is no longer a story of momentum. It is becoming a statement of intent.
“There are a lot of games to go still and it is important that we don’t feel that we are in the position that we need to be. We need to make as many points as we can.”
- Bruno Fernandes
Final Score: Manchester United 2-1 Crystal Palace Possession: 61% - 39% (United - Palace) Shots (on target): 20 (11) - 8 (3) xG: 2.12 - 0.38 Corners: 7 - 3
Up next, United travel to Newcastle in midweek, a contest that will test their credentials at the sharp end of the table. With Shaw’s fitness a concern and Maguire’s availability uncertain, Carrick’s squad depth will be pushed to its limits. But if this season has taught us anything under Carrick, it is that this United side finds a way. Third place. Seven unbeaten. The climb continues.