Manchester United vs Crystal Palace: Matteo Darmian and Damien Delaney own goal keep United in top four hunt

A potential preview of next month’s FA Cup Final saw Manchester United full-back Matteo Darmian emerge as their attacking salvation, a fact that neatly sums up so many of the frustrations that have afflicted Louis van Gaal’s season.

United supporters, who saw a victory over Crystal Palace keep alive hopes of a top-four finish, certainly seem at the end of their tether, with the unfamiliar sight of numerous empty seats around Old Trafford but thanks to their Italian defender, those supporters can still dream of lifting the FA Cup and winning a place in the Champions League over the concluding weeks of the campaign.

Of the two managers plotting for the weekend’s FA Cup semi-finals, Alan Pardew certainly allowed the pending Wembley visit to effect his team selection, making seven changes to a Palace team which has won just one league game since Christmas and which quickly found itself behind to a goal of its own making.

Darmian’s run down the left-hand by-line was enterprising enough but there appeared no red shirts in threatening positions as Damien Delaney stuck out his right leg and steered the ball past Julian Speroni - a finish of which Wayne Rooney would have been proud.

More goals could have quickly followed as United, in a fashion so out of keeping with so much of their disappointing season to date, poured forward with intent.

Mata’s shot, from a yard outside the area, was well handled by Speroni, Anthony Martial let fly from similar range and the Palace goalkeeper parried, at full stretch and Rooney capped a pacy counter-attack with a strike from distance that the overworked keeper smothered at the second attempt.

In between, there was brief respite as Chung-yong Lee headed square for Emmanuel Adebayor whose volley lacked conviction or direction but it was a rare moment of relief for a Palace side still far from mathematically certain of survival.

But United’s finishing did not match their ambition or approach play as Marcus Rashford and Jesse Lingard shot too close to Speroni from threatening positions and Martial used a clear path to goal to advance to within 15 yards and force the best save to date out of the keeper, diving to his left.

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There was no respite for Speroni upon the restart, certainly not with an uncertain defence in front of him, although Pape Souare did well in the opening stages to block a goalbound effort from Rooney.

After 54 minutes, Rashford tumbled under a Martin Kelly challenge but Mata advanced and won a corner after Speroni turned his shot into the side netting, a set-piece from which United finally doubled their lead.

Daley Blind’s corner kick was headed out by Delaney, but only as far as Darmian who took an expert controlling touch on his chest and sent an unstoppable shot flying past the goalkeeper’s dive and in off the left-hand post - his first goal for the club.

Rashford was unselfish, and unfortunate, just after the hour as he showed strength to shrug off a defender on the break, round Speroni and square to Lingard who was denied by the goalkeeper’s outstretched leg before Speroni completed an impressive double save by denying Rashford’s follow-up attempt from the rebound.

Manchester United (4-1-4-1): De Gea; Valencia, Smalling, Blind, Darmian; Schneiderlin; Mata, Rooney (Fellaini 77), Lingard (Herrera 72), Martial; Rashford (Memphis 63). Subs (not used): Rojo, Young, Romero, Fosu-Mensah.

Crystal Palace (4-2-3-1): Speroni; Kelly, Mariappa, Delaney, Souare; Cabaye (McArthur 66), Jedinak; Zaha, Lee (Mutch 59), Sako; Adebayor (Wickham 75). Subs (not used): Campbell, McCarthy, Dreher, Puncheon.

Referee: Lee Mason

Match rating: 7/10

Man of match: Julian Speroni