Manchester United were left to rue a barrage of missed chances in their 0-0 draw vs Crystal Palace and they can thank Dean Henderson for that.
The former Manchester United goalkeeper was played like a man possessed in the first half, repelling every shot that came his way.
United went into halftime on even terms and that was all down to Henderson’s brilliance. His team grew into the game in the second half but they had him to thank for being in the game at all at that point.
Erik ten Hag‘s men created five big chances in the first half alone and it Ten Hag could have been forgiven for thinking that his forward had their fill of goals vs Barnsley.
Still, one United player was namechecked by the man of the match Dean Henderson, who, the English goalkeeper said was at the tip of the attack which tired him out.
Dean Henderson names dangerous Utd star
The United attack was properly humming in the first half the signs of which were on show at Old Trafford in midweek but it happened here against a bigger challenge.
Amad was at his usual nifty best, taking on defenders, scrambling the opposition shape, and doing his well-timed runs and layoffs.
Joshua Zirkzee was knitting it all together and enjoying playing next to attack-minded wingers, as Alejandro Garnacho was a thorn in Palace’s side with his constant movement and runs in behind.
Bruno Fernandes was the orchestrator, and he created a couple of chances while hitting the bar with one of his own.
Henderson tipped his hat to the multi-varied attack, but picked out Fernandes’s one key movement trait that was hard to keep up with.
Henderson said: “You have to concentrate so much and it is tiring when you have to do that for a whole half. They have so many threats, inverted wingers, Bruno dropping into the pocket and spinning in behind. It is difficult becuse you are constantly on your toes.
“I am just delighted to get the clean sheet and happy for the defensive unit that we could get that because it is important for us to build on.”
The Man Utd attack looked complete
If Ten Hag was asked to pick out some of the best performances by the team in his time at the club, it wouldn’t be a surprise if this was right among the best ones.
United played worse against Southampton and ended up winning 3-0. The key reason why this game their performance was so good is that the attack clicked.
Of course, finishing aside, but the way they created chances with fluid movement off the ball, making use of spaces between the lines, and manufacturing high quality shots through ball circulation looked sustainable.
It has taken two years and a few games in the third, but it actually looks like United play with an identity now.
The sample size is obviously small but a case can be made that outside of the Liverpool game, United haven’t deserved to lose any game.
The results always match the performances in the long term, good or bad, so the hope will be that if the team keeps playing like this, the goals will come eventually.
from United In Focus https://ift.tt/28qbEUf