Manchester United maintained their winning start to pre-season with a comfortable 3-1 win over Crystal Palace at Melbourne Cricket Ground on Tuesday.
Leading 1-0 at the break courtesy of Anthony Martial's third goal in as many games, United doubled their tally shortly after the restart, as Marcus Rashford turned home Donny van de Beek's low cross. The Reds netted their third goal just 11 minutes later, with Jadon Sancho racing clear to score his second goal of pre-season.
United, however, were denied a second clean sheet of their pre-season tour, conceding a soft goal from a corner with a little over 15 minutes left, with Joel Ward's header being spilled by David de Gea. Palace had a very unfamiliar look about them, being without plenty of senior stars, and were outplayed for much of the contest.
READ MORE: United player ratings vs Palace
Despite getting another win under their belts, United finished the game with ten men after substitute Will Fish was sent-off with 84 minutes on the clock. He was guilty of denying Palace substitute Victor Akinwale a clear goalscoring opportunity, bringing him down just outside the box.
Here are four moments that you might have missed from Tuesday's friendly at Melbourne Cricket Ground:
Maguire's hostile welcome
A new season is supposed to bring with it a clean slate, but after being cheered and supported by those in an attendance at Melbourne Cricket Ground on Friday, Harry Maguire was booed at the same venue before the match against Palace had even kicked off.
Matters did not improve for the England centre-back after kick-off, with his every touch of the ball being greeted by a chorus of boos. He passed the ball out of play inside the first minute, sparking more boos, which was a theme that continued in the opening exchanges.
The centre-back, however, remained unfazed and went onto enjoy one of his best performances in recent months.
New set-piece taker in the squad
Although United have drafted in Christian Eriksen to boost their creativity levels, fellow new recruit Tyrell Malacia might be a surprise candidate to help in that department. He earned his first start in United colours against Palace and looked razor-sharp down the left-flank, pushing up high and lending a hand in the final third.
As well as proving threatening out-wide from open play, the Dutchman, snapped up from Feyenoord, also looked menacing from corners. Taking them from the right side on his left-foot, they had plenty of zip on them and were delivered into dangerous areas.
They were deep and a good height for those looking to connect with them. He could be a useful weapon to have in that department.
Sancho enjoys his main moment
United played some excellent attack-minded football in the first hour against Palace, with Martial, Sancho and Rashford at the heart of almost everything. After watching Martial and Rashford score United's first two goals, Sancho ensured that he got in on the act by scoring the Reds' third.
He was sent clear by a clever Martial pass and buried a fierce effort past Palace goalkeeper Remi Matthews, who had stepped off the bench to replace the injured Jack Butland in the first-half. After racing away to celebrate on his own, the winger turned around and faced those trying to catch up with him and donned a cheeky smile, suggesting that he recognised just how good a goal it was.
Ten Hag appreciates his players' efforts
Having confirmed pre-match that he would not be making wholesale changes at half-time, in a bid to increase the minutes earned by his most senior stars, Ten Hag threw his first big role of the dice with just over 20 minutes left on the clock, making eight changes in one go.
Van de Beek was the only player that stepped off the bench at half-time, replacing Scott McTominay. But with 66 minutes on the clock, Ten Hag decided to make mass changes, taking off the likes of Diogo Dalot, Victor Lindelof, Bruno Fernandes, Fred and Sancho, plus others.
Despite the number of players crowding around the side of the pitch coming on and coming off, Ten Hag stood to the right of his technical area and ensured that he had a quick word with every player that was withdrawn. He also embraced each of them with a high-five and patted some of the head, including Fred, suggesting that he was pleased with his showing.
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