Fearsome four put United on front foot

Crystal Palace 0 Manchester United 2

The Old Trafford manager started all four forward-thinking players together for the very first timeon Saturday night.

Two of the four-pronged strike force were on target, with van Persie scoring a penalty on 62 minutes and Rooney, fresh from signing his bumper new five-and-a-half year contract, wrapping up the win with a superb second six minutes later.

Rooney’s 10th Premier League goal of the season in his 300th League appearance for the club helped United to their first success in four matches, but it was the new look at the top of the pitch which sent out clear signals United’s season can be re-ignited.

Moyes is sometimes said to be cautious in his tactical approach, though he did not hesitate to play United’s remarkable haul of attacking talent all at once in more or less the first decent opportunity he has had to do so.

The Scot is confident the aforementioned names can make United a force to be reckoned with.

“We try to make sure they are interchangeable [in the movement of positions],” Moyes said.

“We are trying to make them difficult to play against, difficult to mark. We know they all have great ability [in their own way],” he added.

Mata was the main instigator in terms of ball retention and short possession on Saturday, and the Spaniard movement helped Rooney to find buckets of space in a deep-lying position behind Van Persie, in which he scored a sumptuous half-volley.

Rooney also showed his willingness to launch attacks from the key congestion zones of the pitch, whilst Mata and the fleet-of-foot Januzaj on the left, prodded and probed the Palace rearguard.

The creative intent of those three seemed to make Van Persie more confident, as the Dutchman knew a production line of supply would be coming his way.

In truth, United should have created more clear-cut openings given they had 66% of the possession.

“Robin can drop in and get the ball. Wayne dropped in, we wanted him to get more of the ball. We went to Wayne up top in the last 15 minutes and we can play Adnan as a centre-forward.

“He [Adnan] can play any role he’s such a good player. Juan can play off the sides, really on any given day we might choose to play them in any positions.”

Moyes believes Mata’s growing responsibility as chief architect in the side is just what the former Chelsea player needs.

“He must have been on the ball I don’t know how many times [against Palace]. He was terrific in his play. Everywhere he popped up he helped us play better. He needs to go and play and be involved in the play. He has his jobs to do when we don’t have the ball, he has to do that as well.”

United’s squad will undergo more change in the summer, with a third-phase of activity likely following the acquisition of Mata and the deal to secure Rooney’s long-term future at the club, and Moyes says his team needs more strength and depth.

“Manchester United can’t just have a front four. We have to have back-up and players who play, we will very rarely pick the same side because we have got a squad of players which we rotate and we will continue to do that.”

United now travel to Piraeus, in Greece, ahead of their first leg, last 16 Champions League tie against Olympiacos at the Karaiskakis Stadium.

David Moyes admits he will assess the fitness of defensive trio Phil Jones, Johnny Evans and Rafael but otherwise has a fully fit squad at his disposal, including Marouane Fellaini, who played the full 90 minutes at Selhurst Park.

Defeat for Crystal Palace ended their four-match unbeaten run at home in the Premier League, and although Tony Pulis’ men are still firmly in the relegation picture, he has done a remarkable job to steer the Eagles two points clear of the safety zone.

With 11 games to go and Swansea, Southampton and Sunderland to play in their next three fixtures, Pulis has targeted the ‘magical 40-point mark’ to ensure survival.

“I think it is just a case of trying to get as many points as you possibly can from every game and see if that takes you there.

“If we can get to 40 I will be doing somersaults. 40 always keeps you up or it has done for a long time and if you gave me 40 points now I would pack my bags and go on holiday.”

CRYSTAL PALACE (4-4-2): Speroni 6; Ward 6, Parr 6, Dann 6, Delaney 6; Jedinak 7, Ince 5, Puncheon 6, Ledley 6; Murray 6, Chamakh 4.

Subs: Bolasie for Chamakh (74), Gayle for Ince (85).

MANCHESTER UNITED 4-2-3-1: De Gea 6; Smalling 5, Evra 8, Ferdinand 6, Vidic 6; Fellaini 6, Carrick 7; Mata 7, Januzaj 7, Rooney 8; Van Persie 8.

Subs: Valencia for Van Persie (80), Fletcher for Fellaini (88), Giggs for Januzaj (90).

Referee: Michael Oliver.