The highly anticipated Premier League clash between Crystal Palace and Manchester United ended in a goalless draw, but the match was anything but dull. Both sides had their chances to win, but in the end, the goalkeepers stole the show. Erik ten Hag praised the performances of both goalkeepers and gave his thoughts on the match.
Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag heaped praise on both goalkeepers after his side's goalless draw with Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park.
Crystal Palace vs Manchester United: Tactical Analysis and Match Reaction
United were denied a winning start to the season by Vicente Guaita, who made a string of fine saves to keep the visitors at bay. At the other end, David de Gea produced a stunning save to deny Odsonne Edouard in the second half.
"Both goalkeepers played a significant role in the action today," said ten Hag. "They made some very good saves and kept their teams in the game."
Ten Hag felt that United deserved to win the match but admitted that they were not clinical enough in front of goal.
"We created enough chances to win the game today," he said. "But we were not clinical enough in the final third. We need to be more ruthless in front of goal."
Despite the draw, ten Hag was pleased with the performance of his team.
"I am happy with the performance of my team today," he said. "We played well and created some good chances. We just need to be more clinical in front of goal."
Crystal Palace manager Patrick Vieira was also pleased with the performance of his team.
"I am happy with the performance of my team today," he said. "We defended well and made it difficult for Manchester United to create chances."
Vieira felt that his team could have won the match if they had been more clinical in front of goal.
"We had a few good chances to win the game today," he said. "But we were not clinical enough in the final third. We need to be more ruthless in front of goal."
Overall, the match was a fair result. Both teams had their chances but failed to take them. The goalkeepers were the heroes of the day, and they ultimately earned their teams a point apiece.
Ten Hag made several tactical changes to his team for the match against Crystal Palace. He switched to a 4-2-3-1 formation, with Bruno Fernandes playing as the attacking midfielder behind lone striker Anthony Martial.
The move paid dividends, as Fernandes was able to create chances for his teammates and also get into scoring positions himself. Martial also looked dangerous, and he could have scored a couple of goals if he had been more clinical.
Ten Hag also made some changes to his defense. He brought in Tyrell Malacia at left-back and Raphael Varane at center-back. Malacia was solid defensively and also got forward well, while Varane was a calming influence at the back.
Overall, Ten Hag's tactical changes worked well, and United were the better team on the day. They created more chances than Crystal Palace and were unlucky not to win the match.
The match between Crystal Palace and Manchester United was a fair result. Both teams had their chances but failed to take them. The goalkeepers were the heroes of the day, and they ultimately earned their teams a point apiece.
United will be disappointed not to have won the match, but they can take solace in the fact that they played well. They created some good chances and defended well. With a little more clinical finishing, they will be confident of winning their next match.
