Premier League: Can United Gatecrash the Title Race?

Crystal Palace vs Manchester United

Not so long ago the big Premier League question was all about whether league leaders Arsenal could possibly hold off Manchester City in the title race run in. But a cracking weekend of football threw up another challenge.

Manchester United’s dramatic win in the Derby pulled the Sky Blues back into the chasing pack while Arsenal beat London rivals Tottenham to stretch their lead at the summit to eight points. But the Red Devils are now in the race, for the first time this season. They are one point behind City and the Premier League 2023 betting odds, right here at SBOTOP, have seen Erik ten Hag’s team drop to a price of 10.00 to win the title; the Sky Blues are at 2.40 and now the Gunners are clear favourites at a price of 1.85.

United have a chance to make more progress when they visit London on Wednesday but they will meet a formidable opponent in Crystal Palace head coach Patrick Vieira. The former Arsenal playing legend would love to do his old friends a favour and put a dent in Manchester United’s title charge, but his team needs to pull out of a mini-slump it is currently suffering.    

Talking Points

The Return of Rashford

Manchester United’s Premier League 2023 results have been just about as good as it gets for their passionate fans. And one of the reasons is the resurgence of striker Marcus Rashford, who has scored eight goals in the last seven games in all competitions. This is a remarkable turnaround for a player who has been in underwhelming form for a couple of seasons and his recovery comes down to the renewed focus Ten Hag has instilled in his squad.   

Rashford’s goal against Manchester City was celebrated wildly by players and the home fans at a packed Old Trafford, and it was noticeable that one of Ten Hag’s summer recruits, Casemiro was right in the thick of the celebrations, screaming his delight and embracing supporters. This kind of atmosphere has been absent at Old Trafford for a while, but Rashford’s return to form is symptomatic of a new era under the Dutch boss. Casemiro was, once again, dominant in midfield and ensured City striker Erling Braut Haaland didn’t get the service he has become accustomed to. 

United will have at least one change to make as Anthony Martial was injured in the Derby and went off at halftime to be replaced by Antony. And there may be a place on the bench for new signing Wout Weghorst, on loan from Burnley. The former Wolfsburg striker will be licking his lips at the thought of playing alongside Christian Eriksen, another recruit who has made a huge difference to the Reds this season. 

Eagles looking to arrest a slide

The hosts come into the game on the back of a 1-0 defeat to Chelsea to make it three losses on the bounce, two in the league and an FA Cup exit to Southampton. They still sit 12^th in the league table and nicely clear of the relegation battle at the moment, but Vieira will be targeting a top ten place rather a nervy run-in. The Eagles will not meet a team currently below them in the league table until April, so they need to win points against some pretty useful sides. In fact, they meet the Red Devils again at Old Trafford, on 4^th February, so Palace will be desperate to avoid handing over a psychological advantage on Wednesday.

Though they conceded 62 per cent possession to Chelsea on Sunday, the Eagles had chances to get a result at Stamford Bridge, matching the Blues’ five shots on target, with Tyrick Mitchell and Jeffrey Schlupp both forcing Kepa into a good save. “This was a performance where I am really pleased with the attitude and discipline,” said Vieira. “We played a really good game of football and to leave with nothing is hard for us. We did enough to score goals. The game could have finished 2-2.”       

Now they need to go again, and a big game from talisman Wilfried Zaha might just turn the luck in Palace’s favour.

History

With 19 wins to four in the Premier League era the Red Devils have bossed this fixture, though Palace beat them 1-0 on their home turf last season, the Manchester Club triumphing by the same score-line at Old Trafford.  

In terms of recent form Manchester United are streets ahead on a run of seven consecutive victories while Palace have a three-match losing streak at Selhurst Park, and have won just one of the last seven in all competitions, losing five and drawing the other. 

Betting Tip

The Eagles are priced at 4.16 to win this game while the Red Devils are odds on at 1.81 and the momentum is certainly with the visitors. 

The draw is priced at 3.35 and I think that looks like good value. While the Red Devils are on a superb run, six of their last seven games have been at home and they struggled to a 1-0 win away to Wolves in their other match. 

United’s run will end at some time and I have a sneaky feeling it might be on Wednesday. Palace will make this hard for their visitors and their manager will do his best to play the pantomime villain against his old rivals.

 

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