4 tackles, 90% passing, six duels won: United metronome was inspirational in Palace comeback

Manchester United huffed and puffed and eventually blew Crystal Palace down, coming from behind to win 2-1 at Old Trafford. The Red Devils moved into third place in the Premier League thanks to goals from Bruno Fernandes and Benjamin Sesko, starting for the first time under Michael Carrick. Mainoo metronome United’s defence looked disorganised and their attack impressed in fits and starts but, in between, the double pivot of Casemiro and Kobbie Mainoo worked hard and was key to the victory. Both players won four tackles, more than anyone else in red, but it was Mainoo who impressed the most on the ball. The 20-year-old found his man with 63 of his 70 attempted passes, producing an outstanding accuracy rate of 90%. It was an unobtrusive showing, but one which kept play moving – Mainoo took 85 touches as he bucked the trend of general wastefulness in possession. Deep-lying playmaker Operating from deep, Mainoo made two key passes and was accurate with one of his two attempted crosses, and one of his two attempted long balls. He was rarely a goal threat, taking only one shot which went off target, and did not complete either of his attempted dribbles. Mainoo won half of the duels he contested, coming out on top six times from 12. This breaks down as four successful ground duels from nine, and two aerial victories from three. He made one foul and lost possession 15 times. Kobbie Mainoo vs. Crystal Palace PlayerKobbie Mainoo Goals0 Expected goals (xG)0.04 Assists0 Expected assists (xA)0.09 Key passes2 Crosses (accurate)2 (1) Accurate passes63/70 (90%) Passes in opposition half (acc.)47/50 (94%) Passes in own half (acc.)16/20 (80%) Long balls (accurate)1/2 (50%) Total shots1 Shots on target0 Shots blocked0 Touches85 Unsuccessful touches2 Dribbles (successful)2 (0) Possession lost15 Total carrying distance184.1 m Carries19 Progressive carries4 Total progression95.2 m Progressive carrying distance80.8 m Longest progressive carry26.5 m Def. contributions4 Tackles (won)4 (1) Interceptions0 Clearances0 Blocked shots0 Recoveries6 Ground duels (won)9 (4) Aerial duels (won)3 (2) Fouls1 Dribbled past0 Mainoo has been an ever-present in Carrick’s midfield and it would be a huge surprise if he is rotated out of the starting lineup for Wednesday’s trip to Newcastle. Stats taken from sofascore. Featured image Stu Forster via Getty Images The Peoples Person has been one of the world’s leading Man United news sites for over a decade. Follow us on Bluesky: @peoplesperson.bsky.social Joe Ponting Joe has spent more than half his life writing about football and all of it following United. As a child he told a doctor his name was ‘Paul Scholes’, but could never pick a pass like him no matter how much he tried. He cut his teeth working in print media for local newspapers and entered football journalism covering the grassroots game for the Non-League Paper. Here he achieved a career high, interviewing United legend Sir Bobby Charlton to get his views on the lower echelons of the football pyramid. To kill time during international breaks Joe writes album reviews and has strong views on post punk for Plus One Magazine.