Man United vs. Crystal Palace: Winners and Losers from Premier League Game
Manchester United got back to winning ways in the Premier League, Saturday, with a 1-0 win at home to Crystal Palace.
Substitute Juan Mata scored the only goal of the match, but for all their huffing and puffing the Red Devils couldn't find a second goal at Old Trafford.
Although they didn't offer much going forward, Palace defended stoutly over the 90 minutes and blocked numerous United shots, and despite Fraizer Campbell's efforts and one or two half-chances, the guests managed only a single shot on target.
Overall, a handful of individual performances stood out at Old Trafford, some impressive and others rather less so.
Following are the winners and losers from the match.
Winner: Michael Carrick, Who Got His First Start of the Season
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Michael Carrick put his recent injury trouble behind him and earned his first start of the season for Manchester United on Saturday.
The England international began the match in the centre of midfield, but midway through the second half he switched positions with deputising centre-back Daley Blind.
The 33-year-old touched the ball a game-high 119 times at Old Trafford, made a vital intervention on Fraizer Campbell shortly after the restart and completed 89 percent of his passes, per WhoScored.
No doubt Red Devils boss Louis van Gaal will be delighted to have the veteran available for selection going forward.
Loser: Angel Di Maria, Who Wasn't All That Involved
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Angel Di Maria has just come off the boil a bit in recent outings, and Saturday's Premier League affair at home to Crystal Palace was no exception.
Although he picked up an assist on the Juan Mata goal, the Argentina international struggled to deliver an accurate cross, was poor on set pieces and seemed to struggle in his role on the outskirts of the Manchester United attack.
As Squawka pointed on Twitter, not one of the 26-year-old's crosses before his 71st minute substitution found their mark.
Winner: James McArthur, Who Made an Important Goal-Line Clearance
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He didn't come out on the winning side, but Crystal Palace midfielder James McArthur put in a valuable shift for the guests on Saturday.
In the 57th minute, the midfielder kept the guests temporarily on level terms when he cleared the ball off the line with Manchester United pressing, and overall he helped keep the hosts' chances to a minimum from his position just in front of the Palace defense.
At the final whistle, the 27-year-old had contributed five tackles to the Palace cause—a display that will surely have impressed manager Neil Warnock.
Winner: Paddy McNair, Who Showed Ability Well Beyond His Years
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Given Manchester United's injury woes across the back-line, Paddy McNair has been forced into a prominent role rather more quickly than either he or the club's coaching staff likely expected at the beginning of the season.
But once again the 19-year-old impressed in the centre of defense for the Red Devils, and it's arguable that, despite his age, he has been his team's best centre-back so far this term.
On Saturday, McNair didn't put a foot wrong in front of goalkeeper David de Gea, and he even rushed the ball out of the back on more than one occasion.
As Rob Dawson of the Manchester Evening News pointed out on Twitter, the Northern Irishman was an vital part of his side's important win over Crystal Palace.
Loser: Robin Van Persie, Whose Struggles Continued
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Is it age, a new system or simply a dry patch?
Whatever the reason, Robin van Persie once again struggled in front of goal for Manchester United and failed to hit the target with any of his three attempts.
What will have been especially troubling to manager Louis van Gaal was the Dutchman's general lack of involvement in the United attack, and until the 31-year-old rediscovers his form, his side's lack of incision in the final third will continue.
Radamel Falcao cannot return to the starting lineup quickly enough.
Winner: Juan Mata, Who Came off the Bench to Score the Winner
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Juan Mata failed to take his chance in Manchester United's starting lineup while Wayne Rooney missed three matches through suspension, and as recently as Friday, the Daily Star's Rhys Turrell was linking the Spaniard with a January move to Juventus.
But on Saturday, the playmaker made an almost immediate impact after coming off the bench in the second half.
Shortly after replacing the ineffective Adnan Januzaj, the 26-year-old accepted Angel Di Maria's short pass and released a long-range shot on goal that took a deflection before beating Crystal Palace goalkeeper Julian Speroni.
The tally was Mata's third of the season to date, tying him for the club's leading Premier League scorer.
All statistics courtesy of WhoScored.com.
