Manchester United Beat Crystal Palace Despite Resting Players for Europa Final

Manchester United used a makeshift lineup to cap their 2016-17 Premier League campaign with a 2-0 victory over Crystal Palace at Old Trafford Sunday.

The Red Devils, who are set to face Ajax in the UEFA Europa League final Wednesday, rested several key players ahead of the league fixture. They still scored twice inside the opening 20 minutes en route to a comfortable win.

Josh Harrop made the most of his senior debut by getting the scoring started at the quarter-hour mark.

The 21-year-old England youth international took control of a brilliantly delivered long ball from Paul Pogba and worked some individual magic inside the box to create space for a well-placed right-footed shot that Palace goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey watched sail into the far corner.

Former United winger Mickey Thomas commented on the young playmaker:

James Ducker of the Sunday Telegraph liked the overall effort from the midfielder, even before the goal:

Pogba increased the lead four minutes later, though shaky defending from the Eagles back line was the main reason for the concession.

Jesse Lingard pushed forward aggressively, but Palace had five players back to defend the two Manchester United attackers. The promising 24-year-old winger still managed to send a hopeful pass into the middle of the area, which Pogba easily finished after Joel Ward failed to clear for the visitors.

Football writer Liam Canning jokingly discussed the hot start by the mix-and-match group:

Squawka News noted the goal was particularly meaningful for the Red Devils' star Frenchman:

Both Pogba and Lingard were subbed shortly before halftime as manager Jose Mourinho continued to shift the focus toward Wednesday night's Europa League final.

The match's pace slowed considerably in the second half. United were content to play out the 45 minutes with a defensive-minded approach to maintain the lead and limit any risk to players who could play a role against Ajax, and Palace failed to generate any consistent attacking pressure.

B/R Football provided an interesting note about Angel Gomes' United debut, which was the most noteworthy moment after halftime:

Looking ahead, the Europa League final is Manchester United's last chance to earn a berth in next season's Champions League following an up-and-down Premier League campaign. There's no doubting the amount of pressure on the three-time European Cup winners.

Sunday's victory also provided a glimpse of the bright future of a few young assets. Along with Harrop, Axel Tuanzebe, Demetri Mitchell and Timothy Fosu-Mensah all made positive impressions.