Lingard Lords It Over Palace.

2016 FA Cup Final: Crystal Palace 1 Manchester United 2

Local lad Lingard became the hero as he won the FA cup in extra time for ten-man United with a blistering strike that lit up an otherwise ordinary final.

Manchester United have enjoyed a special relationship with the oldest club cup competition down the years that goes back to their first win back in 1909. Since then they have lifted the trophy eleven times but hadn't tasted success since 2004.

So, here was an ideal opportunity at the end of a poor league season to equal Arsenal's record by beating Crystal Palace and lift their first piece of silverware in the post-Sir Alex Ferguson era.

Louis van Gaal and his players made a point of saying that this one was for the long-suffering fans who have had to endure yet another campaign in which United have failed to deliver on the promises of a squad that unfortunately didn't materialise.

In what many believe, and the majority hope will be van Gaal's last match as the manager he chose a starting XI that didn't hold any surprises: De Gea, Valencia, Smalling, Blind, Rojo, Carrick, Fellaini, Rooney, Mata, Martial and Rashford.

Rojo came back into the side at left-back and Carrick kept his place in midfield in what could be his swansong for United. Fellaini was preferred to Herrera to partner Carrick along with Rooney.

There are always players who will be left disappointed in not starting a match of such importance among those must have been Lingard who was left on the bench in favour of Mata.

However, the one United player who must have felt devastated to be left out of the squad all together had to be Memphis who has endured a season in which his confidence seemed to have taken a battering and his omission won't help him in any way.

Palace got the final underway amid a wonderful atmosphere provided by both sets of fans.

Right from the off it became abundantly clear that Crystal Palace's tactics involved getting all the players behind the ball and use their pace on the counter-attack.

United played the majority of the first half around the edge of the opposition area but failed to take advantage of the chances that came up. Too many times they attempted to play through the middle with Rooney without the use of the wings.

Palace were happy enough to stand off Rooney and limit his passing options. The frustrations of the United players were clear for all to see as they were punished by the referee with three bookings for Smalling, Rojo and Mata.

Referee Mark Clattenburg didn't exactly endear himself to the Palace fans as not once but twice he didn't allow the advantage to be played following fouls by United. On the first occasion, they actually had the ball in the net but the play was called back and the second would have seen Ward through on goal but again Clattenburg blew his whistle much to the despair of an animated Palace manager Pardew on the touchline.

The first half ended, not for the first time in United's season, goaless, as they laboured in a pedestrian fashion at times. The match needed an injection of pace and imagination if goals were to come.

The United defence didn't really have a lot to do as most of the play was up at the other end. There were flashes of brilliance from Rashford and Martial who both spent the half looking for a way through the tight Palace defence. Carrick, in what was probably his last match, gave the ball away far too easily in dangerous positions and his lack of pace showed against the younger Palace players.

Van Gaal made no changes at the start of the second half. The match didn't take long to spring into life as first Fellaini crashed an effort against the bar after great approach play from Rashford. Then Martial saw his headed effort come back off the post. It was looking as if it could be one of those days.

Rojo's final came to an end on the hour mark when he was caught by a late lunge from Delaney that on closer inspection warranted more than the yellow he received. The Argentinian did try to carry on but was replaced by Darmian at left back.

This was followed by the departure of youngster Rashford after a defender had stamped on his knee. The way Palace were aggressively going into tackles was reminiscent of the 1990 replay.

Ashley young replaced Rashford and immediately slotted in at centre forward with Martial on the left. A positional tactic that not for the first time baffled the fans.

All of Palace's plans came to fruition in the 78th minute when they took the lead through substitute Puncheon who managed to beat De Gea from the tightest of angles. Not a mean feat. 1-0 to the Eagles and boy did their fans celebrate.

Ten minutes to go in the final and fans wondered how United would react. The answer came so quickly, within two minutes to be exact.

United levelled when Rooney decided the only way past the tight Palace defence was to run at them with the ball which he did with fantastic effect. Eventually, he sent over a cross which Fellaini chested down into the path of Mata who dispatched a shot that found the net after a slight deflection.

The game had come to life and with extra time looming van Gaal introduced Lingard for scorer Mata.

The Red Devils looked to have the upper hand at the start of the first period of extra time as the Palace players looked shattered both physically and mentally. Only former red Zaha continued to be a thorn in United's defence and it took heroic defending from Blind to prevent a goal.

Then as is always the case with United they made it harder for themselves when Smalling was sent off for a second yellow card after he had brought down Bolasie. To be honest, it was a harsh booking for Smalling but he was deceived by the forward's pace.

Down to ten men, it would take a huge amount of effort for United to win the match before being resigned to penalties.

United's player of the season came to the rescue in the second period as De Gea managed to get a boot to deny an effort by Gayle.

Then a chance for Carrick to write his name in United history as he found himself unmarked in the Palace area only to send his header wide of the goal when it looked certain he would become the match hero.

That honour fell to the feet of Jesse Lingard who netted the winner in the 110th minute. A cross from the right from the ever busy Valencia was only half cleared and there was Lingard lurking in the box to smack home a shot that was so sublime in its execution it will one of those Wembley goals that will be drooled over with every viewing.

There was still time for De Gea to thwart Zaha as he dived bravely at the wingers feet and received a knock on his head for his troubles.

When the final whistle blew it prompted jubilant scenes from the players and the bench as the reality sank in that they had actually won the cup after being reduced to ten-men and came from behind to fully deserve their victory. Even Louis van Gaal leapt from the bench jumping with joy into the arms of his assistant Ryan Giggs.

In all reality, it wasn't the greatest of finals but a lot of that was down to the way Palace had set out their stall. United were left frustrated many times but to their credit, they never gave up even when they had fallen behind and a player short.

Performances from the likes of Blind, Mata, Fellaini and Martial kept the dream alive. However, Rooney was the man once again who was at the centre of all United's moves and even though he was guilty at times of wasteful passes it was his inspirational run that provided the equaliser. As regards the man of the match then that would have to go to Valencia who completed his duties in defence and attack to great effect.

A last special mention has to go to the hero of the day Jesse Lingard. How refreshing it is in this modern game of football and its millions that it was a local lad from Warrington who came up through the ranks at United to score the goal that will be forever remembered and celebrated by United fans all over the world.

With the cup victory United have finally ended their drought with the first major trophy in three years. The big question has to be whether it is enough to save van Gaal's tenuous position as manager? No sooner had the final whistle blown the media vultures circled the Dutchman looking for answers. At least let the man celebrate the victory before writing his obituary. There will be plenty of time for that.

Thanks for reading.

Miles Dunton.

Darmian's Stunner Seals Win.

Manchester United 2 Crystal Palace 0

A stunning strike by Matteo Darmian, his first goal for the Reds, guaranteed a win and three more points for Man United in their chase for a top-four finish.

Time is running out for United as they chase an all important place in that top four and their fate lies with the teams above them. All they can do is win their own matches and hope that results go their way.

A midweek match isn't the ideal preparation for the FA Cup semi-final this weekend, but it gave van Gaal an opportunity to make some changes and at the same time have a look at the potential final opponents should United and Palace meet at Wembley in the season-ending showpiece in May.

With one eye on the semi-final van Gaal made three changes to the starting eleven. Rojo, Fellaini, and Depay made way for Darmian, Lingard, and Martial. The team: De Gea, Darmian, Smalling, Blind, Valencia, Schneiderlin, Mata, Lingard, Rooney, Martial and Rashford.

United got the match underway with many seats empty inside the Theatre of Dreams desperately in need of a win to keep alive any hopes of a Champions League place.

There was something for the home crowd to celebrate as early as the fourth minute when an own goal by Palace put the home side ahead. It was Delaney who unwittingly put a low cross from Darmian into his own net when there was no United player anywhere close to the ball.

Following the goal, both teams had chances, including a close effort by Mata followed by Adebayor who pulled his shot wide.

Antonio Valencia enjoyed a lot of the ball down the right wing and was involved in many of United's attacks in the opening twenty minutes that saw Mata and Lingard linking well with Rashford to almost create a couple of openings.

There was nearly a second goal provided by Martial, whose shot from distance was saved by the keeper Speroni at full stretch. Next up it was Rooney trying his luck after a neat lay off from Martial. The captains' drive was collected by the busy Palace keeper. This was Speroni's first match since last May in which he also faced United.

After half an hour the Red Devils were well on top in the game and looked the more likely side to add to their lead with Martial and Valencia providing the threats down the left and right respectively.

That man Delaney almost doubled his own goal tally for the night when he deflected a dangerous cross from Martial just wide of his post.

Teenage goal machine Rashford was played through on goal by his captain Rooney, but the usually prolific striker hit his shot weakly at the keeper. There were then two chances in quick succession the first from Lingard and the second by Martial both of which were well saved by Speroni in the Palace goal.

Just before the break there was a bad two-footed challenge by Souare on Juan Mata that quite rightly received a yellow card and he was lucky it wasn't worse for him and Mata.

Half time and United would have to be happy with the slender 1-0 lead they had. The fact that it was only one goal was down to the man between the sticks for the away side after Speroni made save after save to deny United on numerous occasions.

As the second half began all United had to do was continue in the same vein as they had in the first half and their patience would surely be rewarded. Unless, of course the keeper had other plans. No changes were made by van Gaal as Palace restarted the match.

An early chance fell to Rooney after more great work from Martial who managed to cut the ball back from deep, but Rooney's low shot was just deflected wide by a defender.

The next opportunity fell to Mata who benefited from Rashford's tenacious hard work to fire a shot towards goal that Speroni turned around his post for a corner.

From the Blind corner, United doubled their lead in the 55th minute with a screamer from Darmian on the edge of the box that the keeper this time had no chance in stopping in a month of Sundays. Not a bad way to open his goal account by chesting the ball down then volleying it in off the post in front of the Stretford End.

The third goal almost came when Rashford unselfishly laid the ball off to Lingard inside the penalty area only to see the keeper make a double save from himself and Lingard.

That was Rashford's last moment of action as he was replaced by Memphis. The standing ovation from the home crowd as he left the pitch showed how much his all-round effort was appreciated.

Speroni was at it again when he tipped a Rooney header over his bar. Herrera made an appearance in place of Lingard for the final twenty minutes of a match that United had a firm control of.

The third and final change made by van Gaal was to give Rooney a breather and replaced him with Fellaini.

There was a scare for Smalling as he went into a challenge and he seemed to struggle for a few minutes as he tried to run off the knock. Thankfully, he managed to recover as the match progressed.

The home side went through the motions as the match entered the final ten minutes with the game won it was a case of not risking an injury before the weekend. Dutch winger Memphis tried to get his confidence back on track with a curling effort which was deflected away from goal.

Fresh from his first goal for the club Darmian clearly had a taste for more as he tried his luck again, but this time, it wasn't as spectacular and probably best forgotten.

The match ended with another win and three points in the bag for the home side. The match was a relative stroll for United as Palace offered no threat in attack and it turned out to be a good work out for the Reds ahead of the all-important match at the weekend. This display was an improvement on the win over Villa but far from the polished performance that the fans are looking for and more importantly expect from United.

Rashford impressed once again with Mata pulling the strings alongside Rooney. Schneiderlin proved his value to the side with his unassuming but effective style of play. The defence had a relatively easy night of it which allowed them to play higher up the pitch and provide the extra ammunition in attack.

However, it was Anthony Martial who again stood out as he was involved in the majority of United's attacks and if not for the outstanding form of the away keeper he would have added to his season's goal tally.

All the attention now turns to the semi-final at Wembley and the showdown with Everton in the FA Cup, which is the last chance for van Gaal and his team to get their hands on a trophy.

Lastly, talking about trophies, congratulations to Warren Joyce and his U21s who managed to retain their League title by beating Spurs. A superb achievement by the youngsters, most of whom have managed to break into the first team during this season which shows the fantastic array of young talent currently at the club.

Thanks for reading.

Miles Dunton.

No Tricks or Treats from United.

Crystal Palace 0 Manchester United 0

'Sticks and stones may break my bones, but names will never hurt me' was the reply from Louis van Gaal to the criticism of his tactics by United legend Paul Scholes after the bitter disappointment of the defeat by Middlesbrough in midweek.

Following their recent goalless outings there has been backlash from all quarters, not only Scholes, questioning the lack of inventiveness in front of goal by United so here was a great chance for them to prove their critics wrong and show that the recent results were only a blip in their season by putting the frighteners on Palace. Unfortunately, it was the same old story yet again at Selhurst Park.

In the League Cup defeat van Gaal gave the youngsters a chance in attack, but it backfired dramatically as they struggled together against the Championship side so he reverted back to a more experienced lineup hoping that the goals would come.

Starting XI: De Gea, Darmian, Smalling, Blind, Rojo, Schneiderlin, Schweinsteiger, Herrera, Mata, Rooney and Martial.

Without Memphis in the side due to injury, van Gaal kept faith with under performing and under fire captain Rooney, however, Schneiderlin, Schweinsteiger, Mata and Herrera all returned to the side to bolster the team's attacking options.

Subs: Romero, Tuanzebe, Young, Carrick, Pereira, Lingard and Fellaini.

There was one surprise on the bench and that was the inclusion of 17-year-old defender Axel Tuanzebe for his first senior squad involvement.

Crystal Palace had the first chance as early as the first minute as United gave the ball away to allow Gayle a chance to test De Gea's reflexes. There was more sloppy defending from the visitors when they gave Palace hope in attack, not a good start from United who looked nervy all over the pitch in the opening ten minutes of the game.

Not for the first time this season United was a side in complete disarray as Palace threatened to open the scoring and if it wasn't for the brilliance of De Gea and the woodwork then the Red Devils would have been in real trouble within the first fifteen minutes.

A scary start at Halloween for United.

United needed a calming influence on the pitch to instil confidence in the side and to nullify the threat and pace of Palace. One thing was certain the fantastic away support was in fine voice as always.

Mata won a dubious free kick on the edge of the area which he left for Rooney to take, but his effort was poor and lacked the pace to beat Hennessey in goal. However, United were beginning to control the game without threatening Palace too much.

Rooney's poor season was summed up as he failed to latch onto a great weighted through ball from Martial on the half hour. A chance that he would have buried in his prime, but it seems those days are well behind him as his play has lost the edge that made him so threatening.

Herrera had the last chance of the half after Mata and Martial carved out an opportunity for the visitors, but he totally lost his footing at the vital moment inside the penalty area.

Half time and all was square thanks mainly to De Gea's excellent save and no thanks to Rooney's indecision up front. Surely at some point in the second half we would see Rooney replaced by Young allowing Martial to take up the central strikers role, however, as we witnessed later the manager had other ideas.

The second half started with no changes made by van Gaal. Both sides didn't hold back in the challenges as both Smalling and Darmian picked up cautions. The Italian's booking means that he will automatically miss United's next Premier League encounter with West Brom and would shortly force the manager's hand into a change.

After a period of play in which the away side created absolutely no chances van Gaal decided to make his first change of the game in the 66th minute when Young replaced Darmian most likely to prevent the defender receiving a second booking as he had struggled with Zaha all day.

This was immediately followed by Fellaini's inclusion at the expense of Schweinsteiger. Could the lofty Belgian produce the winner as he had done last season. Herrera blotted his copybook in the 70th minute with a dive in the penalty area in which he was fortunate not to receive a yellow card.

At this point in the match, it was the home side who seemed the likelier of the two teams to grab the all-important opener as United struggled to get into any rhythm and it was that man again De Gea who came to his team's rescue with some fine blocks to prevent Palace.

Van Gaal's last throw of the dice saw Lingard replace Mata for the final fifteen minutes of the match. Any number of players could have been dragged off as none of the team, with the exception of Smalling and De Gea, performed anywhere near the acceptable level for a United player.

Two late chances for both sides could have sneaked the win the latter almost falling for Rooney after good approach work from Young.

The match ended with a point shared for both sides, but in all honesty Palace will feel aggrieved they didn't collect all three after they had created the majority of the chances compared to United who failed once again to put on a display worthy of their great name. They looked like a side devoid of any creativity or drive, and were lucky to come out of the game with a point.

Last season's problems stemmed from the defence, however, the main problem with this campaign is the toothless attack of United. Sure, we have the quality there, especially with Martial, but he can't do it all alone and the demand for another striker must be paramount in the manager's mind. This was the third game on the bounce that United had failed to find the net from open play, a statistic that is just not good enough.

If only the striker problem had been addressed in the summer as all knew that entering into a new season without four recognized strikers was going to stretch the side to the limit. Add to that the poor form of Rooney and it makes the situation worse, even more so when the only fallback plan is to utilise Fellaini as a literal springboard in the hope of something coming from his bushy head.

Van Gaal and his coaches have their work cut out ahead of the upcoming Champions League game with CSKA Moscow and unless they want another competition to end up out of their reach they had better come up with a plan to fix the obvious failings and quickly.

Thanks for reading.

Miles Dunton.

Super Sub Mata.

Manchester United 1  Crystal Palace 0

Following the narrow defeat last week at the hands of Manchester City the only objective was to beat Crystal Palace at Old Trafford and get back to winning ways. 

I suppose a win is a win and the three points are the main target at the end of the day but Palace are a team who are tipped for the drop so it should have been a routine win for the reds.

Once again, Manchester United did it the hard way. 

It was a dire goalless first half in which the only clear cut chance was created by the excellent Luke Shaw, who followed a solo run from his own half with a shot that was saved by the Palace keeper, Speroni. In fact, that was the only save he had to make in the first half as United seemed to lack any penetration even though enjoying 80% of the possession.

Due to injuries and suspensions, Louis van Gaal was forced to reshuffle the team yet again.

United starting XI: De Gea, Valencia, Shaw, Blind, Carrick, McNair, Di Maria, Fellaini, van Persie, Rooney and Januzaj.

Blind partnered McNair in the center of defence, Carrick started his first match of the season in midfield behind Rooney and Fellaini. This meant that van Persie was once again alone up front relying on the service from the flanks, which just did not come.

Down the left flank Shaw and Di Maria were linking up well, but the problem was on the opposite wing which saw Januzaj once again struggling to put any decent form or contribution together, even though Valencia, again covering at right back, was doing his best to help him out.

Under par Januzaj.

Januzaj is flattering to deceive at the moment and hasn't contributed anything of note in his last three appearances. He had one shot of note early on and that was it. Is it a question of he had his chance and blew it?

It's a shame as I always remind people I was rallying for him to be used in the team, but after this match I believe he needs to be rested and has to be made to understand his failings and work on his form. He is still young and I'm sure the best will come eventually.

What the team and the match needed in the second half was an injection of urgency, this arrived in the shape of Juan Mata who came on as substitute for Januzaj at the same time that James Wilson replaced the ineffectual Di Maria.

Within a short time of his arrival, Mata had put United into the lead with a left-footed strike that was deflected into the net. He also later had an effort which hit the post.

Mata breaks the deadlock.

The game had come to life, Fellaini, playing his best football since joining United, had a header cleared off the line. However, United made the fans sweat it out again by not finding the killer goal which would have totally ended any hope that Palace had of getting a result.

Instead, like in other games this season, the opposition smelt the weakness in United and the possibility of a goal because we let them have too much of the ball.

It's been a long time since Old Trafford had that fear factor for visiting teams and I can't see it coming back anytime soon.

On a positive note, this result was United's first clean sheet in six games and David De Gea recorded his 50th clean sheet for the side.

DeGea's 50th clean sheet.

Once again, young defender Paddy McNair had an impressive match for the Red Devils, what a player this boy is going to be. The confidence he showed during the match by bringing the ball out of defence and trying to kick start moves was very encouraging.

Some fans are saying that he is only in the side due to the injuries to the first choice defenders, but I believe he should be considered first choice and the others should fight to play alongside him.

I understand that he has a lack of experience, but that is only achieved by playing. When I see his name on the team sheet I have a different feeling of confidence than when I see Evans or the injury-prone Jones.

What McNair needs is an established defender alongside him to learn from, hopefully, next season that player will come.

My choice of man of the match is Luke Shaw, who never stopped running and looks so assured on the ball. He is showing all the qualities that deserved an England call up along with Carrick and Rooney. The only hope is that he can keep fit for long periods of the season.

Man of the match Shaw.

This was United's 4th home win of the season and lifts the reds up into sixth place in the league. Looking at the teams above us I don't see any reason why we can't aim for a top three finish.

If we could only start to get results away from home starting at Arsenal in two weeks time that would surely calm the nerves of the team and fans at home, and allow us to play with the speed and flair that United are used to.

With another international break, it gives Falcao and the other injured players time to recover and get back to help the team up the table.

So enjoy the two-week break and thanks for taking the time to read my thoughts.

Miles Dunton.