Manchester United moved up to third place in the Premier League after beating Crystal Palace at Old Trafford on Sunday. The 2-1 victory cemented United’s position in the top four and extended their unbeaten run in the league to 11 matches.
United found themselves a goal down after just four minutes when Maxence Lacroix put the Eagles ahead. The opener came from a Palace corner, but a mistake from Leny Yoro gave Lacroix a free header in the box.
Michael Carrick’s side started brighter in the second half though, and when Matheus Cunha turned Lacroix in a dangerous position, the Frenchman pulled back Cunha, conceding a penalty and receiving a red card for the denial of a clear goalscoring opportunity.
Bruno Fernandes converted from the spot once again and the game opened up for United to then complete the comeback with a great header from Benjamin Sesko.
Wright shows where Yoro went wrong
The obvious talking point of the first half was United’s defending of Crystal Palace’s opening goal, in particular, Leny Yoro’s marking of Lacroix.
Yoro signed for United in 2024 for a fee of £54 million and came with a reputation as one of the most promising defenders in Europe. His United career has so far been up and down. The Frenchman spent the first few months injured after picking up a metatarsal injury in his first preseason.
Then, under Ruben Amorim, Yoro featured from time to time but seemed to be lacking in confidence. Michael Carrick has favoured a partnership of Harry Maguire and Lisandro Martinez, but after an injury to the latter, Yoro has found himself back in the team.
His mistake against Palace highlighted his inexperience and showed that he still has a lot to learn. Ian Wright analysed Yoro’s mistake during half-time coverage of the match. As per the official Premier League website, he said, “I thought [Man Utd] were going to start a lot quicker than they have.
“The ball’s in the air for so much time. That’s a really good header. Yoro’s not even looking.
“It was in the air long enough for a Man United player to go and attack it. Lacroix’s done really well to direct it in there.”
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Should Heaven be given a chance?
Harry Maguire was substituted in the 85th minute, and United finished the game with a centre-back partnership of Leny Yoro and Ayden Heaven.
Although there are questions about Yoro, he is young at 20 and still has a lot to develop as a Premier League defender. With more opportunities and game time, there is no doubt that United have a really promising future.
Read more: Michael Carrick issues triple Man Utd injury update after Luke Shaw and Harry Maguire problems
Since he signed from Arsenal at the age of 18, Ayden Heaven has been quickly integrated into the first-team setup by Ruben Amorim.
His performances were very impressive for a teenager at centre back in the Premier League, showcasing his ability on the ball and maturity when defending, but his opportunities have been limited so far under Michael Carrick’s tenure.
With his physicality and dominance, the “excellent” Heaven could be a better short-term option for Carrick. However, it is being reported that the injury to Lisandro Martinez is not serious, and the Argentinian could be back in action very soon, so Carrick could revert to his favoured pairing.
Nevertheless, United have two very good centre-backs in Yoro and Heaven, and the future of the defence looks promising. But due to the change in system and impressive performances of the two first-choice centre-backs, opportunities will come less often. It will be interesting to see how Carrick manages this going forward.
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