Manchester United makes a winning comeback

Manchester United tasted first home victory of the season when they beat 10-men Crystal Palace 2-0 in a Saturday afternoon clash. With this victory over minnows Crystal Palace the United fans celebrated the 50^th year of legendary George Best’s debut as a Red Devil.

With a draw against Chelsea in the previous home game and a defeat in the hands of arch-rival Liverpool in the last match, the desperate United manager David Moyes fielded his best eleven to get back to winning ways. The match began on even terms as the star-studded United midfield looked a bit patchy. In the meanwhile Crystal Palace played some solid football as the ball travelled from one end of the field to the other, although there were no clear scoring opportunities for the either side. The first real chance came to United in the 37^th minute when Robin Van Persie chested down a long pass from Rooney. As he opted for power rather than precision, the ball ricocheted of the crossbar and went out, much to the agony of the home fans. However the home fans did not have to wait long after that. United got a penalty just before the half-time whistle when Dikgacoi brought down Ashley Young just inside the penalty box. The referee consulted his fellow officials on the field before giving the marching orders to the defender. Van Persie made no mistake from the spot as Manchester United went into the lemon break with 1 goal advantage.

As the second half kicked-off United players began to surge ahead in search of the insurance goal. They began to get lot more space to maneuver the ball as their opponent was down to 10 men. But the determined visiting side made United wait for a long time to get their second goal. The Red Devils finally doubled their lead in the 81^st minute of the match, thanks to a fine finish from Wayne Rooney from a free-kick resulting from a tackle on debutant Adnan Januzaj. It was Rooney’s first goal of the season for United and it brought a lot of satisfaction for David Moyes as well as the United supporters. However the most exciting moment of the match came in the 61^st minute when United’s latest signing Marouane Fellaini came on as a substitute to make his debut in Manchester United outfit.

The win over Crystal Palace also marked David Moyes’ first victory at Old Trafford since coming on as the replacement of Sir Alex Ferguson few months back. With a couple of tricky encounters, first against Bayer 04 Leverkusen and then Manchester City, coming up in the next week United players need to pull up their socks as they need to make a lot of improvement in their field play.

• About the Author

About Argha Ghosh

An ardent follower of sports and die-hard Manchester United fan, Argha's ultimate dream is to watch a Manchester derby from the Stretford End at the Old Trafford.