Manchester United vs. Crystal Palace Ends in Goalless Draw in Premier League

Manchester United were held to a goalless draw against Crystal Palace at Old Trafford on Saturday in the Premier League. 

The hosts started the game brightly but quickly fizzled out against an organised Palace side. The best chances came to the visitors on the break, with Patrick van Aanholt firing wide and Cheikhou Kouyate's effort ruled out for offside.

The hosts also had a goal disallowed after half-time. Romelu Lukaku tapped home from close range after Wayne Hennessey had denied Ashley Young, but the strike was correctly adjudged to be offside.

Andros Townsend wasted another opportunity for Palace, firing wide with only David De Gea to beat, and the two sides were forced to settle for a point each.
     

Time to Drop Matic and Give Fred a Chance

Jose Mourinho again opted to start Nemanja Matic against Crystal Palace, despite the midfielder's continued poor form this season.

The 30-year-old is a regular under Mourinho, but he put in another less-than-impressive performance as the Red Devils drew a match they were expected to win.

The Eagles have only managed eight Premier League goals this season and were without a recognised striker at Old Trafford, yet they still managed to carve out plenty of chances against the Red Devils.

Matic is tasked with protecting the defence but came out second best when it came to tackling in the first half:

He will also have been relieved to see Townsend miss a glorious opportunity on 74 minutes after failing to stop the winger:

Mourinho kept Matic on for the entire 90 minutes, but it's time he was taken out of the team and for summer signing Fred to be given a chance.

United brought the Brazilian to Old Trafford for a fee of £52 million, per the Guardian. However, Fred has only been used sparingly so far, making just six Premier League starts and only one in the Champions League.

The 25-year-old has only shown glimpses of his best form since joining, but he will have needed time to adjust to his new surroundings.

With Matic out of form, now is the perfect time to offer Fred the chance to prove himself in the first team and demonstrate why Manchester United were so keen to splash out on him in the summer.

Mourinho Must Match Pep's Use of Squad Players

One of Mourinho's biggest issues at Manchester United has been his failure to get the best out of his squad players, unlike Pep Guardiola at Manchester City.

Guardiola is renowned for his coaching ability and the way he develops players. For example, Fabian Delph has become an important squad player for both club and country after previously appearing to have no future at the Etihad.

Mourinho has not had the same impact at Manchester United. He's failed to get the best out of Matteo Darmian, who made a rare appearance in the starting XI  on Saturday:

Darmian is a versatile defender who can play on either flank, yet he appears so far down the pecking order at Manchester United that it was a surprise to see him start.

Jesse Lingard is another player who is not a guaranteed starter, but his match-winning impact for England against Croatia on Sunday demonstrated he has more to offer. He was one of United's brighter players against Crystal Palace before being replaced just before the hour mark.

Squawka's Muhammad Butt explained how he could be better utilised:

There's no doubt that Mourinho is underachieving with his squad of players. Saturday's match represented an excellent opportunity to gain ground on the top four, but instead Mourinho's team are now 14 points behind Guardiola's league leaders.

What's Next?

Manchester United are back in action on Tuesday. They host Young Boys in the UEFA Champions League and then take on Southampton in the Premier League on Saturday. Crystal Palace will play Burnley at Selhurst Park on Saturday.