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England midfield duo Adam Wharton (left) and Kobbie Mainoo in action at Old Trafford At a glance Maxence Lacroix heads Crystal Palace into early lead Bruno Fernandes levels with controversial penalty as Lacroix sent off Benjamin Sesko scores winner - netting for third game in a row Manchester United climb above Aston Villa into third; Palace 14th PLAYER RATER Manchester United fought back to beat 10-man Crystal Palace and go third in the Premier League amid penalty controversy and a contentious red card decision. Palace were on course for a third straight win at Old Trafford when Maxence Lacroix, who had opened the scoring for the visitors in the fourth minute, grabbed at Matheus Cunha in the second half. Although the initial contact was outside the penalty box, Lacroix did not let go as the Brazil forward entered the area. Cunha then went down and, after being sent to the screen, referee Chris Kavanagh stood by his initial decision to award a penalty - and also sent Lacroix off as the United attacker would have had a goalscoring opportunity. Bruno Fernandes fired the 57th-minute spot-kick past Dean Henderson to equalise, and Benjamin Sesko put the hosts in front eight minutes later when he powered home a header from Fernandes' cross. The Slovenia striker was scoring for the third successive game and took his tally to seven in his past eight matches. Former United goalkeeper Henderson prevented Casemiro from increasing the hosts' lead with a brilliant reaction save and later also stopped a dangerous effort from substitute Amad Diallo. The result extends Michael Carrick's record in charge to six wins and a draw from seven games and takes his side above Aston Villa into third on goal difference. It is the first time United have been as high as third since Erik ten Hag's first season in charge in 2023. Palace are 14th in the table, 10 points clear of the relegation zone, and will surely target the Conference League as another piece of silverware and European qualification before boss Oliver Glasner leaves the club this summer. This video can not be played Carrick reacts to Man United victory against Palace They may be up to third and in fine form, but not everything at Manchester United is rosy. At the start of the second half, some fans took out a banner declaring "MUFC proudly colonised by immigrants" in reference to minority owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe's controversial immigration comments. While supporters may remain disaffected at Ratcliffe's remarks, on-pitch matters could not be going much better under interim boss Carrick. Given United have no European football and, after their trip to Newcastle on Wednesday, no more midweek games, it would now be a shock if they do not qualify for the Champions League. After struggling to make an impact under Ruben Amorim, Sesko is now in a rich vein of form and offering the kind of physical presence in attack Rasmus Hojlund was unable to produce in two seasons as United's leading striker. The presence of Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo clearly helps in terms of taking the pressure off and, with the decisive little bits of good fortune any team needs to succeed also going their way, United are in a good place. Cunha is bound to be criticised for going down too easily in the incident that changed the game but that overlooks the fact Lacroix's actions made it possible. The only blow for Carrick was the fact left-back Luke Shaw was taken off after 24 minutes with injury and must be a doubt for the Newcastle match. This video can not be played 'Foul starts outside the box' - Glasner disputes Man Utd penalty After 14 months of watching three at the back not working for their team, United's fans were presented with a lesson in how it should be done by Glasner. The Austrian's background as a Europa League and FA Cup winner shows he knows what he is doing despite the travails at Selhurst Park this season, which essentially boil down to recruitment and Glasner's fury at having his best players sold without adequate replacements coming in. Tactically though, his idea is sound. More to the point, unlike Amorim, he is able to get players to fill the right spaces at the right time - or at least he did on this occasion. Lacroix's fourth-minute goal was the earliest United had conceded all season and Palace impressed in the first half, with Adam Wharton looking sharp in midfield against one of the clubs who would like to sign him in the summer. While the hosts did get a measure of momentum before the break, the Eagles reached the interval looking well set to claim a much-needed victory. Sadly for Palace, United overturned a half-time deficit against them to win for the second time this season. Unlike at Selhurst Park, when Palace were worn out after a midweek European assignment, this time they were on the wrong end of a decision that changed the entire game. They did try to push for an equaliser, but in reality Henderson was the main reason Palace left with just a one-goal defeat given United had a handful of chances to put the game to bed late on. Manchester United's next game is in the Premier League at Newcastle on Wednesday (20: 15 GMT kick-off), while Crystal Palace go to Tottenham on Thursday (20: 00). Have your say on Manchester United's performance What did you make of Crystal Palace's display After the opportunity to rate players has closed, the score displayed represents the average from all the submissions by BBC Sport users. Comments can not be loaded To load Comments you need to enable Java Script in your browser Last Updated 1st March 2026 at 18: 27 Please Note: All times UK. Tables are subject to change. The BBC is not responsible for any changes that may be made. Manager: Michael Carrick Formation: 4 - 2 - 3 - 1 Manager: Oliver Glasner Formation: 3 - 4 - 2 - 1 Manager: Michael Carrick Formation: 4 - 2 - 3 - 1 Manager: Oliver Glasner Formation: 3 - 4 - 2 - 1 Man Utd Manchester United Crystal Palace Crystal Palace High chance of scoring Medium chance of scoring Low chance of scoring Dominant period Match momentum measures the swing of the match by comparing each team’s threat to see who is more likely to score within that minute. The momentum value is the difference between each team’s most dangerous moment, or team threat, in that minute. Match momentum measures the swing of the match by comparing each team’s threat to see who is more likely to score within that minute. The momentum value is the difference between each team’s most dangerous moment, or team threat, in that minute. 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Crystal Palace have won four of their last six away league games against Manchester United (L2), having won just two of their first 22 visits to Old Trafford (D3 L17). Having won their last two visits, Crystal Palace are looking to become just the second London side to win three consecutive away league games against Manchester United after Chelsea between 1967-68 and 1969-70. Manchester United have picked up 27 points in their last 12 home Premier League matches (W8 D3 L1) – 16 more then they managed in their previous 13 games at Old Trafford (11 – W3 D2 L8). Crystal Palace have won two of their last three Premier League games (L1), picking up twice as many points in these games (6) as they did in their previous nine games combined (3 – D3 L6). Manchester United are the only team who haven’t lost in the Premier League since Boxing Day (W6 D4), while no side have won more points than the Red Devils (22) in this period. 12 of Crystal Palace’s last 14 away Premier League wins have come against sides starting the day in the bottom half of the league, with their six away wins this season against teams who were, on average, 17th in the league on the day of the game. Palace have two wins in their last 26 on the road against sides starting the day in the top-six (D8 L16). Manchester United manager Michael Carrick has won all four of his home league games in charge (one in 2021, three in 2026) – only Frank O’Farrell has won his first five home games in charge of the Red Devils, doing so in 1971 (won first six). Crystal Palace goalkeeper Dean Henderson has three clean sheets in four games against former club Manchester United (75%), the best ratio of any goalkeeper in Premier League history against the Red Devils. The only visiting goalkeeper with a clean sheet in his first two starts at Old Trafford is Fraser Forster (2014-15 and 2015-16 with Southampton). Benjamin Sesko has netted five goals in six league games for Manchester United since the departure of Ruben Amorim, averaging a goal every 37 minutes in this run. Heading into MD28, no player has more non-penalty goals in the Premier League in 2026 than the Slovenian (5). First Half ends, Manchester United 0, Crystal Palace 1. Harry Maguire (Manchester United) wins a free kick in the defensive half. Foul by Jørgen Strand Larsen (Crystal Palace). Foul by Matheus Cunha (Manchester United). Ismaïla Sarr (Crystal Palace) wins a free kick in the defensive half. Bryan Mbeumo (Manchester United) wins a free kick in the defensive half. Foul by Maxence Lacroix (Crystal Palace). Fourth official has announced 3 minutes of added time. Foul by Bryan Mbeumo (Manchester United). Brennan Johnson (Crystal Palace) wins a free kick in the defensive half. Attempt missed. Casemiro (Manchester United) header from the centre of the box is close, but misses to the right. Assisted by Bruno Fernandes with a cross following a set piece situation. Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United) wins a free kick in the attacking half. Foul by Daichi Kamada (Crystal Palace). Corner, Manchester United. Conceded by Dean Henderson. Attempt saved. Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the top right corner by Dean Henderson (Crystal Palace). Bryan Mbeumo (Manchester United) wins a free kick in the attacking half. Foul by Daichi Kamada (Crystal Palace). Attempt saved. Benjamin Sesko (Manchester United) header from the centre of the box is saved in the bottom left corner by Dean Henderson (Crystal Palace). Assisted by Bruno Fernandes with a cross. Attempt blocked. Noussair Mazraoui (Manchester United) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Assisted by Bryan Mbeumo. Diogo Dalot (Manchester United) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul. Copyright © 2026 BBC. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking.