Manchester United defeated Crystal Palace 2-1 at Old Trafford on Sunday afternoon. The performance was hardly their most convincing of the season, but they found a way to win, which is something that has improved considerably under Michael Carrick. After falling 0-1 behind early on, a red card for Palace’s goalscorer Maxence Lacroix turned the game on its head. Bruno Fernandes stepped up to convert the penalty, and he assisted Benjamin Sesko for a bullet header to give United a lead they would not relinquish. The Peoples Person asked its readers who they considered to be the player of the match. Bruno Fernandes The Portuguese magician was pivotal in turning the match around, and the fans were not blind to this. 74% of supporters voted for Fernandes as the player of the match. It was also the player’s slide-rule pass that put Matheus Cunha through on goal, winning the penalty and resulting in the red card for the visitors. Fernandes is now on 13 assists and needs just three more to provide more in a campaign than any other United player in Premier League history. Benjamin Sesko 13% of supporters felt that the Slovenian deserved to be given the player of the match award. Sesko has been in fine form in 2026 and was given his first start under Michael Carrick. He scored a late equaliser against West Ham and was also responsible for the only goal of the game versus Everton. The striker was once again the architect of a vital goal when he headed in Fernandes’ cross to give United the victory over Palace. Harry Maguire With injuries to Matthijs de Ligt and Lisandro Martinez, Harry Maguire’s experience has been vital this season for the Red Devils. He came off to a standing ovation on Sunday as the Old Trafford crowd enjoyed another strong showing. 12% of readers felt that Maguire was the man of the match after another strong showing at the centre of the defence. Finally, 1% of people polled felt that another player deserved the player of the match, with Matheus Cunha winning the penalty or Noussair Mazraoui’s strong showing off the bench as potential candidates. Bruno Fernandes Stats: 2025/26 Season CompetitionAppearancesStartsGoalsAssistsYellow CardsRed CardsMinutes Played Premier League25257133-2,168′ FA Cup11-1–90′ EFL Cup10—-45′ Total27267143-2,303′ 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 Alex Browne Alex is a huge Manchester United fan, inspired by greats of his homeland such as George Best, Harry Gregg and Norman Whiteside. Alex has a Master’s degree from Queen’s University Belfast and La Universitat Rovira i Virgili in Tarragona, Spain. Having lived in the country since 2011, Alex is The Peoples Person’s Spanish football expert and is fluent in both Spanish and Catalan. He dreams of witnessing a United captain triumphantly hoisting the Premier League and Champions League trophy in the air once more.
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