Casemiro scored one goal and set up another as the League Cup holders Manchester United began their title defense with a 3-0 home win against Premier League rivals Crystal Palace in the third round on Tuesday at Old Trafford. With this victory, Manchester United has earned its spot in the fourth round of the Carabao Cup. For the first time this season, Erik ten Hag’s team have won back-to-back games.
Dean Henderson, recruited from Manchester United in August, was taken off after 19 minutes of his Palace debut when he appeared to hurt his right leg after what appeared to be a simple long kick. He was replaced by another Manchester United academy graduate, Sam Johnstone, who was picking the ball out of the goal two minutes later as Diogo Dalot cut back from the byline for Alejandro Garnacho to sweep in right-footed.
Brazilian midfielder Casemiro made it 2-0 in the 27th minute, rising in the area for a looping header into the far corner off Mason Mount’s swinging corner. Anthony Martial scored his first goal of the season in the 55th minute, capitalizing on some bad defense to race onto a Casemiro cross at the back post and fire past Johnstone.
The game was the night’s lone meeting between two top-flight clubs, and they will face again in the Premier League match at Old Trafford on September 30, Saturday. Morocco has signed an international loan. Sofyan Amrabat made his first appearance for United after arriving from Fiorentina.
With five of United’s next six games in all competitions taking place at Old Trafford, it’s up to Ten Hag and his players to steady the ship if they want to win it all. What Ten Hag would give for a peaceful month and to leave the Premier League’s crisis club to someone else. Last season, around this time, United began to put together a run that brought them into contention for the top four and, briefly, the title chase. United is ninth in the table after six games and Ten Hag would probably settle for catching the tails of Manchester City, Liverpool, Brighton, and Tottenham Hotspur.
It was a good night, definitely. We dominated the game, we had some good attacks, control in possession, dominated the chances, and scored great goals, said Ten Hag after winning the game. But we know we are not in the position we want to be, so we have to build up and catch and work on the process and the results, he concluded.
