Sesko on the mark again as Man Utd go third with win over Palace

The hosts had to fight back to earn a crucial victory. 

Manchester United's Benjamin Sesko celebrates scoring the winner. Pic: artin Rickett/PA Wire.

Manchester United 2 Crystal Palace 1 

If Michael Carrick is a gambling man, he would have noticed that the bookmakers have installed Oliver Glasner as his closest challenger to be the manager of Manchester United next season.

A storming second-half performance that brought goals for Bruno Fernandes and Benjamin Sesko and lifted United into the top three should see Carrick's odds shorten.

Champions League qualification is there for the taking for a team that has taken 22 points from a possible 24 in the eight games since the Old Trafford hierarchy invited their former midfielder to become head coach until the summer.

Glasner, the Austrian who led Crystal Palace to the first trophy in their 120-year history last year when they lifted the FA Cup, has announced he will leave Selhurst Park in in May and has his admirers in Manchester.

Until defender Maxence Lacroix was sent off 11 minutes into the second half, when Palace were leading thanks to the fourth-minute the Frenchman himself had headed home, Glasner would have fancied his chances of doing a number on Carrick and lifting his own hopes of getting a call from an 0161 number.

But Fernandes converted the penalty that Lacroix conceded when hauling down Matheus Cunha to earn his red card.

Then the United captain continued the form that must surely make him a contender for the Footballer of the Year award by digging out the delicious cross from which Sesko emphatically headed home his fourth goal in five games.

If there really is a United DNA then Carrick is plugged right into it. His team were second best in the opening period, but managed to find a solution.

Sesko was handed his first Premier League start for almost two months start after a fistful of impressive cameo performances as a substitutes, but the inclusion of the £74million Slovenian meant Amad Diallo was on the bench.

With Patrick Dorgu missing through injury, United's lack of width down the left flank was clear, especially with Cunha failing to resist the temptation to drift inside.

With Adam Wharton imperious in central midfield, the visitors established an early superiority.

The Eagles soared ahead when Brennan Johnson's far-post corner allowed Lacroix to strong-arm Leny Yoro out of the way before looping a clever header across United keeper Senne Lammens and in off the far post.

Diogo Dalot then produced a vital block to prevent Tyrick Mitchell's cross from reaching Johnson or Jorgen Strand Larsen in the centre before Sarr thrashed an angled shot straight at Lammens after an exchange of passes with Daniel Munoz.

It took United 32 minutes to threaten Dean Henderson's goal, Harry Maguire meeting Bryan Mbeumo's corner with a downward header that was diverted wide by Sarr.

When Sesko leapt to meet Bruno Fernandes' whipped cross only to send his header straight at Henderson, there were further signs of a Red revival.

Henderson then produced a flying save finger-tip Fernandes' dipping 25-yard free-kick over. From another Fernanades free-kick moments later, Casemiro was disappointed to send a free header wide.

Then, in the 52nd minute, the game turned. Cunha lost Lacroix with a deft change of direction only to be dragged back by the scruff of the neck by the Palace defender.

Referee Chris Cavanagh pointed to the spot. Fernandes, Cunha and Harry Maguire also wanted to see a red card.

When VAR official Tony Harrington advised that contact had started outside the box, Cavanagh took another look. He opted to both uphold his original decision and send off Lacroix.

Fernandes kept his cool to send Henderson the wrong way from the spot. It was his seventh goal of the season.

The Portuguese almost had another when he cut in from the left to strike a shot just wide of the far post from 25 yards.

Then, in the 65th minute, he picked out Sesko with an exquisite right-wing cross that invited the ??? to dash in ahead of Canvot to spear a textbook downeard header past Henderson's left hand.

Glasner made a raft of changes in a bid to change the course of the contest, while Carrick was forced to bring off the outstanding Maguire five minutes from time, the central defender heading straight down the tunnel for treatment.

Diallo's arrival gave United another attacking outlet and he thought he had scored in injury-time when he sent a 20-yard curler towards the bottom corner only to see Henderson produce another fine save.

Man Utd (4-2-3-1): Lammens 7; Dalot 6, Yoro 5, Maguire 8 (Heaven 85), Shaw 5 (Mazraoui 24, 6); Casemiro 6, Mainoo 7; Mbeumo 7 (Zirkzee 86), Fernandes 8, Cunha 7; Sesko 7 (Diallo 75, 5).

Crystal Palace (3-4-3): Henderson 7; Richards 7, Lacroix 4, Canvot 6; Munoz 6, Wharton 7 (Hughes 68, 5), Kamada 6 (Pino 85), Mitchell 6; Sarr 7, Strand Larsen 6 (Guessand 58, 5), Johnson 6 (Riad 58, 5).

Referee: Chris Kavanagh.