Manchester United moved to within a point of fourth-placed Arsenal thanks to a 2-0 victory over Crystal Palace this evening.
An early Damien Delaney own goal set the tone at Old Trafford, before Matteo Darmian's first goal in United colours made sure of the outcome ahead of Saturday's FA Cup semi-final showdown against Everton.
There were just four minutes on the clock when Palace's experienced centre-back Delaney made an inexplicable error. Darmian's low cross from the left flank did not appear to be overly threatening, but under no real pressure, the Irishman bizarrely turned the ball into his own net from eight yards out.
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From that moment onwards, the visiting Eagles were heavily reliant on their goalkeeper Julian Speroni, who was making his first appearance of the season between the posts.
The 36-year-old denied Wayne Rooney and Anthony Martial in quick succession, before the latter of United's attacking pair then drew a spectacular stop in the 40th minute.
The Frenchman's curling effort was destined for the far corner, but Speroni at full stretch was able to turn the ball behind for a corner with a strong left hand.
However, the Argentine custodian was powerless 10 minutes after the restart when Darmian struck. A corner was cleared as far as the edge of the box, where United's advancing left-back chested the ball down and then lashed a half-volley that flew into the net via the upright.
Palace, who like United have a FA Cup semi-final on the horizon, offered little in the way of a reply and it was the home side that continued to carve out the better of the openings.
The best of those was created in the 62nd minute as teenager Marcus Rashford weaved his way into the penalty box. His shot was saved by Speroni and he got up in time to thwart Jesse Lingard's rebound effort.
Liam Apicella
