Fast Goal, Man Utd to Rank Three After Defeating Crystal Palace

JAKARTA - Manchester United conceded first through Maxence Lacroix's quick goal before defeating Crystal Palace 2-1 in an English Premier League match at Old Trafford Stadium, Sunday, March 1, 2026 WIB. The victory over the opponent who played with 10 people brought Man Utd up to third place by overtaking Aston Villa.

The match was not easy for Man Utd even though it ended in victory. How not, Man Utd conceded a goal when the match was only four minutes. Lacroix's header which greeted the corner kick failed to be anticipated by goalkeeper Senne Lammens.

However, Man Utd was able to bounce back in the second half. Casemiro's patience and others produced two goals which made Man Utd extend their unbeaten record during interim manager Michael Carrick's tenure. They have recorded five wins and one draw after being held by West Ham United 1-1 during Carrick's tenure.

The success of getting three points makes the Red Devils' long wait over. Now, Man Utd can break into the top three even though they are quite far behind Arsenal who are leading the standings. They have 51 points or the same as Villa who had to drop to fourth place because of a goal difference.

Only Man Utd is 10 points behind with Arsenal topping the table. The point gap could be wider if Arsenal beat Chelsea in the London Derby at the Emirates in a few hours. Meanwhile, Manchester City, who are in second place, are closely behind Arsenal. A 1-0 win over Leeds United gave Man City 59 points or two points behind the Gunners.

Meanwhile, Palace who almost brought home the points had to bite their fingers after failing to improve their ranking. The defeat made Oliver Glasner's team remain in 14th place with 35 points.

Man Utd Lose Quickly

In the match, Man Utd lost quickly to Palace who immediately hit. As a result, when the match was only a few minutes, Lacroix successfully broke into Lammens' goal. The goal started from Brennan Johnson's corner kick which led to the French player. His header went straight into the corner of the goal which made Palace 1-0 ahead.

After conceding when the match was only four minutes in, Man Utd tried to bounce back. But they still can't get out of the pressure. Moreover, Palace played quite well and was ahead in ball possession. This makes Man Utd have difficulty building an attack.

However, the hosts had a chance through Sesko in the 38th minute. It's just that Sesko's header that greeted Fernandes' cross could still be stopped by goalkeeper Dean Henderson. The score 1-0 for Palace lasted until the first half ended.

Entering the second half, Man Utd took the initiative to attack. On the other hand, Palace experienced a decline so that Man Utd could take the lead in ball possession.

Man Utd didn't take long to equalize when they got a penalty in the 57th minute. The penalty was given after Lacroix, who had been a hero, turned zero after committing a foul against Matheus Cunha in the penalty box.

The foul with Cunha pulling jersey resulted in a red card for Lacroix after the referee reviewed the incident via VAR. Not only did Lacroix expel the player who made the protest, the referee also gave a penalty.

The penalty execution was well executed by Fernandes who outwitted goalkeeper Henderson. The score changed to 1-1 and Man Utd was more aggressive in pressing the Eagles' defense. They didn't take long to turn the tide.

Only eight minutes later, Fernandes was again involved in Man Utd's second goal process by providing an assist to Sesko. The good opportunity was finished by Sesko through a hard header that broke into the Palace goal.

This is Sesko's third goal in three consecutive matches. Interestingly, Sesko's goals have always been the determinant of Man Utd's points. When playing against West Ham United, Sesko's goal when the match was only one minute to go saved Man Utd because it changed the score to 1-1.

Likewise in the match against Everton, Sesko scored the only goal that brought the three-time Champions League champion to a 1-0 win. Now, he is back to showing his sharpness by breaking into the Palace goal. The goal made Man Utd turn 2-1.

Only, Man Utd failed to add a goal. Until the end of the match, the score remained 2-1 for Man Utd. But that was enough to displace Villa and rise to third place.