Crystal Palace were unable to make the most of their chances after being held to a goalless draw by Manchester United in their Premier League clash.

Dwight Gayle saw an early effort saved, before Yannick Bolasie crashed a strike against the bar, as the Eagles made a bright start to the afternoon.

Wayne Rooney had the best chance of the game for the Reds when he was played through on goal by Anthony Martial, but Wayne Hennessey was quick off his line to deny him.

After the break, Yohan Cabaye hooked an effort wide of the post and Scott Dann placed a header off target, as the match finished on level terms.

Here, Sports Mole takes a closer look at the events that unfolded at Selhurst Park.

Match statistics

CRYSTAL PALACE
Shots: 10
On target: 5
Possession: 44%
Corners: 7
Fouls: 12

MANCHESTER UNITED
Shots: 5
On target: 1
Possession: 56%
Corners: 3
Fouls: 15

Was the result fair?

Palace may feel slightly disappointed that they could only claim a point, as they were the dominant side for most of the afternoon. The Eagles made a blistering start to the match and United were unable to handle their high pressing game. They also created a number of early chances, with Bolasie firing a strike against the bar.

However, United grew into the contest and ended the first half strongly, with Rooney having a couple of decent chances to break the deadlock. The second half swung back in the favour of the home side, and they pushed forward in search of a late goal, but they were unable to break the deadlock as United hung on for a point.

Crystal Palace's performance

The Eagles must have been paying attention to United's 3-0 defeat against Arsenal earlier this month, as they started the game at a high tempo and looked a danger every time they came forward inside the opening 15 minutes. Only some fine goalkeeping from David de Gea and some last-ditch defending stopped them from taking the lead.

After allowing their opponents back into the match, they regained their composure in the second half and once again looked the more likely team to score. Their best chances saw Cabaye and Dann almost find the net with efforts from inside the box, before Bolasie turned the ball over from a corner in the final minute. Although the result has stretched their winless run to four games, there were a number of positives for Alan Pardew to take, and he can be pleased at the display his team put in.

Manchester United's performance

United have been criticised for lacking creativity in recent weeks and the goalless draw at Selhurst Park means that they have gone their last three games without scoring. They rarely posed a threat in this afternoon's match, with Rooney wasting their best chance of the first half after allowing Hennessey time to smother the ball at his feet.

They did seem to recover from a poor start to dominate possession, but in the second half they gave the ball away far too cheaply and struggled to defend from set pieces and crosses into their box. In the end, Louis van Gaal's side managed to hang on for a share of the spoils, but it will do little to improve the confidence of their detractors.

Sports Mole's man of the match

David de Gea: There were some fine performances from the Eagles this afternoon, but their best efforts were thwarted by De Gea. The keeper was called into action to bail out his defence on a number of occasions, starting with a save from Gayle in the opening minute. His most impressive stop was from a stinging Bolasie drive that he touched onto the bar. and his efforts were the difference in helping the Reds to claim a point.

Biggest gaffe

Matteo Darmian was given a torrid afternoon down the left by Wilfried Zaha and an early giveaway almost saw Gayle score, before De Gea bailed him out with a save. He put his team under pressure with a number of poor touches, and after being booked early in the second half, he was finally hauled off by his manager.

Referee performance

It was a busy afternoon for Mike Jones, who was forced into handing out six bookings, although it could have been a lot more. He displayed good common sense to diffuse a number of potentially explosive situations, and rightly decided against giving United a penalty in the second half.

What next?

Crystal Palace: The Eagles are back in action next Sunday with a trip to Anfield to face Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool.

Manchester United: United will hope to end their run without a goal when they take on CSKA Moscow in the Champions League on Tuesday evening.