Crystal Palace vs Manchester United: Player ratings as visitors stutter again in foggy, goalless draw

Palace 0-0 United: Second-placed Red Devils slipped further behind rivals and league leaders City

Crystal Palace’s Eberechi Eze vies for the ball with Aaron Wan-Bissaka (Manchester United via Getty Imag)

Crystal Palace

Vincente Guaita – 7: Pulled off a magnificent fingertip save to keep out a drilled and deflected Matic effort.

Gary Cahill – 6: Was tested by Cavani’s movement without ever being truly troubled.

Joel Ward – 7: Did not face too much pressure at the back, but produced a vital interception late in the first half.

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Cheikhou Kouyate – 7: A very solid effort in defence from a man more accustomed to playing in midfield.

Patrick van Aanholt – 6: Deflected over a James header as the match neared its conclusion. Was denied brilliantly by Henderson in the final seconds of the game.

Andros Townsend – 7: Looked lively throughout on the flank, demonstrating some fine dribbling at times.

Eberechi Eze – 6: Was kept away from the ball in the early moments, to the dismay of Palace fans and the neutral. Showed greater flashes of his tremendous skill as the game progressed, though. Replaced by Schlupp late on.

James McCarthy – 6: Calm and composed in the middle of the pitch for the hosts. Substituted just after the hour mark as Riedewald came on.

Luka Milivojevic – 6: An uninspiring but error-free showing from the captain.

Christian Benteke – 6: Volleyed over a difficult chance early on, and similarly sent an athletic effort over the bar at the start of the second half. Mistimed a shot rather poorly when found in space later on.

Jordan Ayew – 5: Failed to make any real kind of mark on the fixture.

Substitutes: Riedewald – 6; Schlupp – N/A.

Manchester United

Dean Henderson – 7: Had nothing to do until the final seconds, when he kept out Van Aanholt one-on-one – a save for which the goalkeeper’s grade is bumped up.

Aaron Wan-Bissaka – 7: Little to criticise in the case of the right-back, who marshalled Eze well for much of the match.

Harry Maguire – 6: Gave the ball away with a horrid pass under zero pressure early on and was lucky that Palace didn’t fully capitalise. Improved over the course of the evening, however.

Eric Bailly – 5: Also gave away possession in a dangerous area in the first few minutes.

Manchester United defender Luke Shaw jostles with Andros Townsend (Getty Images)

Luke Shaw – 7: Put on a disciplined showing on the left for the visitors and held up the ball well for his team-mates.

Nemanja Matic – 5: Tested Guaita well with a powerful, deflected shot in the first half, but soon copied his centre-backs in giving away the ball near his own goal.

Fred – 5: Midfielder was present but far from pivotal here. Replaced by McTominay.

Bruno Fernandes – 6: Showed glimpses of the magic he can produce when he’s at his very best – but just glimpses.

Marcus Rashford – 6: Things didn’t quite click for the forward on this occasion.

Mason Greenwood – 6: Failed to channel his energy into any tangible contributions.

Edinson Cavani – 7: Didn’t look short of sharpness on his return to the starting line-up. His movement provided the best chance of United creating/scoring. Replaced by James.

Substitutes: McTominay – 6; James – 7.