Manchester United squandered the chance to put Chelsea under real pressure at
the top of the Barclays Premiership by failing to overcome 10-men Crystal Palace
at Selhurst Park.
In a disappointing game, United were frustrated by a Palace side reduced to
10-men midway through the second half.
Vassilis Lakis was sent off for two bookable offences by referee Mark
Clattenburg but United still could not make the most of their numerical
advantage.
Ruud van Nistelrooy brought the best out of Palace goalkeeper Gabor Kiraly
with a header in the first-half and a 20-yard drive after the break but he
wasted his best chance five minutes from time when he blazed the ball over from
point blank range.
United had been hoping to reduce the gap at the top to three points but the
draw leaves them five points adrift of the Londoners.
United began brightly enough but only managed to win their first corner of the
game in the 13th minute.
However, the visitors failed to profit from the opportunity or increase the
pressure on the Palace rearguard when Ryan Giggs placed his cross far beyond any
of his team-mates.
It was Palace who were beginning to look the dangerous on the break and a good
run by Tom Soares ended with United hurriedly clearing a dangerous low cross
from Andrew Johnson.
In the 20th minute Michael Hughes was booked by referee Mark Clattenburg after
a late challenge on United full back Gabriel Heinze.
United came close to breaking the deadlock in the 26th minute when van
Nistelrooy found enough space to send a telling header towards the corner of the
net - but Kiraly was equal to the challenge and palmed the ball away.
On the half-hour, Johnson was hauled down on the edge of the penalty area by
Phil Neville but the United player was quick to block the Palace striker's
attempt on goal from the subsequent free-kick.
In the 35th minute, Neville let fly with a low drive from 25 yards but Kiraly
dived low to his right to deal with the threat.
Alan Smith was lucky to escape a red card four minutes later when he raised
his hands to Soares after the Palace midfielder's lunging tackle on him.
However, Clattenburg opted to book the Palace player and took no action
against Smith as tempers momentarily flared in the blustery conditions.
The home fans were angered at the interval when United boss Sir Alex Ferguson
gestured at Clattenburg and his assistants as they walked off the field.
United made a double change in the 55th minute with Neville and Quinton
Fortune replaced by Cristiano Ronaldo and Paul Scholes - Ferguson clearly
feeling he needed to inject more urgency into his midfield as Palace continued
to keep them at bay.
United were desperate for a victory to keep the pressure on leaders Chelsea at
the top of the table - but Palace were determined to make them work for any
reward.
That almost arrived in the 57th minute when van Nistelrooy sent a 20-yard shot
towards the left-hand corner of Kiraly's net - but again the Palace goalkeeper
was alert and agile enough to tip the effort round the post.
In the 63rd minute United's victory chances increased when Vassilis Lakis was
sent off for a second bookable offence.
The Palace player had been booked early in the second half and when he caught
United skipper Roy Keane on the right wing, Clattenburg had no option but to
dismiss him.
In the 73rd minute, Smith was replaced by Wayne Rooney as United continued to
search for a crucial matchwinner.
Rooney almost created it for van Nistelrooy in the 79th minute when his clever
backheel presented the Dutchman with a clear shot on goal from just inside the
penalty area - but the normally lethal marksman scuffed his effort and Kiraly
once gain dealt with the danger comfortably.
It was all United in the final 10 minutes but, to their credit, Palace refused
to buckle under the intense pressure.
And United's day of frustration was summed up with five minutes remaining when
van Nistelrooy blazed the ball over from less than three yards after Wes Brown
had headed Rio Ferdinand's cross into his path.
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