Manchester United display further progress in win over Crystal Palace

From an admittedly small sample size of only three tour matches, Erik ten Hag appears to be improving Manchester United. Each of the goals scored in their 3-1 victory over Crystal Palace on Tuesday, by Anthony Martial, Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho, was a function of slick and cute play that crowned United’s finest performance of their pre-season tour of the far east and Australia, following the wins over Liverpool (4-0) and Melbourne Victory (4-1).

“We are happy with the improvement we see – we score some wonderful goals,” said Ten Hag. “That is also the demand [press high]. We press all day, high on the pitch and if we can’t we do it on a low block. [We can still improve] the timing, when we start it, and also our quality on the ball. We play well, but you see when two, three-nil up the belief is increasing.”

For Harry Maguire, this was something of a mixed affair. He faced Palace having been backed emphatically by Erik ten Hag as captain and a “first-choice” player but then had to endure boos from those in attendance early on. They were eventually quietened via an impressive display by the England defender, prior to him being replaced in the second half.

Donny van de Beek, who helped create Rashford’s goal, defended Maguire. “I heard as well [jeering],” he said. “I didn’t know really what happened. But Harry was playing well – he was aggressive, he got so many balls, so that means he has a big personality.”

Maguire made more than one potential goal-preventing intervention and unloaded long-range deliveries that had his manager at one point calling his name and displaying a thumbs up. The 29-year-old personified the quality on show in white. United were a whirring menace until they faltered towards the end when