REACTION: MANCHESTER UNITED 4 (MATA 3', FELLAINI 35', 49', LUKAKU 86') CRYSTAL PALACE 0 - PREMIER LEAGUE FROM OLD TRAFFORD

30 Sep, 2017

That’s all for now. Thanks for your company today and join us again in two weeks’ time. In the meantime, we’ll keep you updated with how the Reds are getting on for their countries. Scroll down to see how we covered United’s latest Premier League win against Crystal Palace. Bye for now!

United don't have a game for a couple of weeks now due to the next international break, with a number of players set to represent their countries in friendlies and World Cup qualifiers. The Reds will return to action with a bang against fierce rivals Liverpool at Anfield in a Saturday lunchtime kick-off on 14 October.

With champions Chelsea up against Manchester City as we speak, there are three more Premier League games to come tomorrow as Arsenal host Brighton at midday before Everton face Burnley at Goodison Park (14:15 BST) and Liverpool travel to Newcastle (16:30 BST).

FELLAINI: GOALS GIVE ME CONFIDENCE

Marouane Fellaini enjoyed scoring twice against Palace, doubling his tally for the season. The Belgian told MUTV: "I enjoyed scoring and when I score it's always a bonus for me. I scored two today and it’s good for me, good for my confidence but the most important thing is the win and the three points."

Juan Mata was pleased to open his goalscoring account for the season and admitted it was crucial to score early. He told MUTV: "It obviously helps to score early and it was an important goal because, after the travel to Russia, some players were a bit tired. I’ve been trying to score my first goal of the season and I did today and I’m very happy."

JOSE: WE WERE IN GOOD CONTROL

The boss was satisfied with the Reds' victory over Palace today. He told MUTV: "I’d rather swap one 4-0 win for four 1-0 victories but I know that’s not possible. We are happy, we played solid, we played strong from the beginning, we were in good control."

MATCH REPORT

It was another good day at the office for the Reds, who have now scored 21 and conceded two goals in our first seven league games. Read our account of the game as United eased past Palace this afternoon.

We will have reaction to another excellent win for the Reds to come, so stay tuned for quotes from players and United boss Jose Mourinho both here and on ManUtd.com very soon.

Here's how the five other Premier League matches that have taken place so far this afternoon have finished…

Huddersfield 0 Tottenham 4
Bournemouth 0 Leicester City 0
West Bromwich Albion 2 Watford 1
West Ham United 1 Swansea City 0
Stoke City 2 Southampton 1

It's the sixth time already this season that the Reds have scored four goals in a game and we have equalled the club record for six clean sheets in the first seven league games of a season. Jose's men are looking unstoppable on every front!

The Reds move three points clear at the top of the Premier League table, temporarily at least, with champions Chelsea set to take on second-placed Manchester City shortly at Stamford Bridge.

Possession: United 59% Crystal Palace 41%
Shots: United 18 Crystal Palace 6
Shots on target: United 7 Crystal Palace 1
Corners: United 6 Crystal Palace 5

And there goes the full-time whistle! The Reds maintain our 100 per cent home record in style with another four-goal haul as goals from Mata, Fellaini (2) and Lukaku give United a comfortable victory over struggling Palace.

90+1 - Palace fans are now singing "City scored five". There's still time, you know...

90 - From the resulting free-kick, Young delivers the ball into the box from the left hand side but it's easy pickings for Hennessey, in truth. We'll have three minutes of stoppage time.

88 - In doing so, Lukaku has equalled the club record of seven goals in the first seven league games of a season, set by Andy Cole. There's another stoppage here as the Reds prepare to take a free-kick.

86 - Four is fastly becoming United's favourite number! The Reds hit that number of goals again as Herrera plays in Martial again and the Frenchman rolls the ball across the box for Lukaku to slide home from six yards. It's number 11 for the season for the Belgian, who is in the form of his life! Get in!

83 - Fellaini seemed to be hurt following a collision with Cabaye, which looked accidental, and is able to carry on. Meanwhile, the attendance has just been announced as 73,118.

81 - Chance! Another good opportunity for United to add further gloss to the scoreline as an incisive pass from Herrera releases Martial in behind but the Frenchman is denied by a good save from Hennessey.

78 - Andros Townsend, who has been almost anonymous for Palace in truth, flashes a free-kick across the face of goal but De Gea lets it drift behind. The Reds are cruising towards another convincing victory here.

77 - United make their final change of the afternoon and it's one Spaniard replacing another as Juan Mata, who opened the scoring, makes way for Ander Herrera.

74 - Lingard fancies his chances with a shot which flies harmlessly over the crossbar. We're going to see Ander Herrera very shortly.

73 - Palace frontman Freddie Ladapo, the club's only fit senior striker, enters the action in place of Sako.

Martial, who was Man of the Match in Moscow, is making his 100th outing for the club this afternoon and is already receiving lots of love from the United fans. Well done, Anthony!

72 - The Reds make the second substitution of the day as Anthony Martial enters the action in place of Rashford, who can be satisifed with his afternoon's work after setting up two goals.

71 - What a chance! The Reds almost make it 4-0 as Lukaku picks up the pieces after the referee played a good advantage following a foul by Delaney on Lingard. But the Belgian, who is already in double figures for the season, curled his effort wide of the post. So close!

68 - Roy Hodgson brings on James McArthur and Jairo Riedewald in place of Schlupp and Puncheon, midway through the second half. It remains 3-0 to the Reds.

68 - It's high and wide from Cabaye with the Frenchman's 25-yard effort not troubling De Gea as Palace come forward. Here come the visitors' first substitutions...

RASHFORD IS CLOSELY WATCHED BY MILIVOJEVIC

65 - The first change of the afternoon sees Jesse Lingard enter the action in place of Mkhitaryan. The forward has fond memories of Palace after scoring the winning goal in the FA Cup final against the London club in 2016.

64 - Rashford is down and in some pain after a challenge from Sakho. After receiving treatment, he is back on and fine to continue.

63 - United almost get in on goal again as Delaney's poor defensive mistake gifts the ball to Mata, who plays in Lukaku but his attempted cross for Rashford is cut out in the nick of time by Milivojevic. The Eagles are contributing to their own downfall as United look to cash in. Meanwhile, Lingard is waiting to come on for the Reds.

60 - It's all very quiet on the pitch at the moment, in what is a scrappy spell. Martial, Blind and Darmian are warming up for the Reds at the moment. United legend David Beckham is watching on from the director's box this afternoon and he'll be happy with the result so far. Good to see you, David!

55 - Palace are enjoying a positive spell of pressure at the moment, but United are keeping their shape well. Incidentally, it's the first time that Fellaini has scored a brace for the Reds and Rashford has set up two goals in the same game for United.

50 - United are looking to inflict more damage here as Matic plays an inch-perfect pass through to Lukaku, which splits open the entire Palace defence, but the Belgian couldn't quite bring it under his spell. The Reds faithful are continuing to urge on the team.

49 - The Reds increase the lead as Fellaini heads home his second and United's third from close range from Rashford's free-kick from the right hand side, after Young was sent sprawling by Milivojevic. You feel it's just a case of how many for United now against a beleaguered Palace. Get in!

47 - Chance! Mkhitaryan makes progress down the right hand side with his low cross picking out Rashford on the edge of the box in acres of space but the forward's effort is well blocked by Ward.

46 - The Reds make a bright start straight from the kick-off as Rashford's cross picks out Lukaku, whose effort is deflected behind off Sakho for a corner. Mata delivers but it's easily cleared by Milivojevic. Encouraging signs already for United.

46 - Mkhitaryan gets the ball rolling for the start of the second half. Come on, United!

MATCH RESTARTS

The players are heading back out onto the pitch and the second half will begin shortly. Let's hope for more of the same from United!

It's fair to say Marouane enjoyed celebrating his goal, as he marked his comeback from injury in style!

As well as equalling a club record for PL clean sheets at the start of the season with a shut-out today, the Reds can also equal our record tally of 19 points after the opening seven PL matches, set in 1999 and again in 2011. We also have 19 PL goals this term, as it stands!

Here's how the four other Premier League games kicking off at 3pm this afternoon are shaping up at the break...

Bournemouth 0 Leicester City 0
West Bromwich Albion 2 Watford 1
West Ham United 0 Swansea City 0
Stoke City 1 Southampton 0

Possession: United 68% Palace 32%
Shots: United 9 Palace 2
Shots on target: United 3 Palace 1
Corners: United 3 Palace 4

And there goes the half-time whistle! The Reds are in a comfortable position at the break courtesy of goals from Mata and Fellaini against a struggling Palace side.

45 - Fourth official Stuart Attwell has signalled there will be one minute of additional time at the end of the first half.

44 - Mkhitaryan volleys over the crossbar from inside the box from a Mata cross from the right. United are in total command as we approach the halfway point.

43 - Chance! United pour forward again as Young breaks free down the left and wins the ball back after initially losing it from Puncheon. It's worked well out wide to Mata, whose cross is flicked on by Lukaku to Rashford, who has space to cut inside and his low shot is saved by Hennessey's feet and behind for a corner.

41 - Chance! United come so close to a third. Mata, having already scored once today, almost turns provider with a fine delivery from a corner. Smalling gets free at the back post and his downward header is agonisingly wide of the post. Nearly, but not quite!

38 - United have the security of a two-goal cushion and might have already established a winning lead. It's been comfortable but not as dominant as some of the other matches the Reds have won convincingly so far this term.

35 - It's been a while in coming but the Reds double the lead with 10 minutes to go until half-time. Again it comes from the left hand side as Young teases Ward before delivering an inch-perfect cross which is sidefooted home by Fellaini at the back post. It's the Belgian's third goal of the season. Get in!

34 - United have enjoyed plenty of possession but not found the end product to match, as of yet, against a stubborn Palace rearguard. The Reds are staying patient, though, and moving the ball around much quicker now.

32 - Save! David De Gea, who could achieve the club record we mentioned earlier today, has had nothing to do so far but had to be alert to beat away a stinging angled shot from Bakary Sako from the corner of the penalty area.

31 - United launch a counter attack with Mkhitaryan carrying the ball forward but, with Lukaku making a good run ahead of him, the Armenian's pass was slightly wayward and he was unable to pick out his team-mate.

30 - Taking Mata's opening goal into consideration, United have now scored 18 times in the Premier League this season and will be keen to add to that tally this afternoon. There's not much happening at the moment, in truth.

28 - Lukaku's cross from the right is blocked from reaching the penalty area by Palace skipper Puncheon, who is penalised for handball. Mata takes the free-kick but it's comfortably claimed by Palace keeper Wayne Hennessey.

26 - Cabaye wins a corner for Palace, despite Smalling's appeals that the ball came last off the Frenchman, which replays suggested it did. The visitors have two successive corners but the United defence easily deal with both of them.

24 - Since the opening goal early on, the tempo has dissipated somewhat but there's a nice fluidity about the United forward line this afternoon, with Mkhitaryan now moving out wide and goalscorer Mata switching to a more central position.

21 - The Reds have a firm grip on proceedings, without creating too many clear-cut chances. In the meantime, there's a rather ironic chant from the Palace fans of "we'll score when we want", considering the Eagles have yet to score this season.

19 - United are passing the ball around well and spreading the play to utilise the full width of the pitch, with Ashley Young playing more as a winger than a left-back. It's good to see two English centre-backs for the Reds today, too, in Jones and Smalling - with the pair starting together for the first time this term.

17 - Mkhitaryan dribbles forward and delivers a dangerous low cross which is scraped away by Luka Milivojevic. The Reds are streaming forward at will at the moment. It might only be a matter of time before the second goal arrives...

15 - As has been the norm so far this term, Matic is totally dominating the midfield and seeing a lot of the ball to dictate the play for United. The boss is watching from his technical area and must be pleased with what he has seen so far. The rain is getting even harder!

13 - Antonio Valencia, wearing the captain's armband for the Reds, carries the ball forward and has a shot which is blocked by Jeffrey Schlupp. The Palace fans to our right, who have made the journey from the capital, are making themselves heard early on.

11 - Close! Nemanja Matic fired over from the edge of the box after a neat move involving Mata, Mkhitaryan and Rashford. There are options for every United player on the ball. A very positive start from the Reds.

09 - The Reds have an appeal for a penalty turned down by referee Mike Dean as Marouane Fellaini went down in the box under the challenge of Patrick van Aanholt. Meanwhile, Romelu Lukaku saw a cross aimed towards Rashford turned away at the near post by Ward.

Earlier today, Tottenham thrashed Huddersfield 4-0 at the John Smith's Stadium as Harry Kane scored twice and Ben Davies and Moussa Sissoko were also on target for Spurs.

07 - Chance! Palace get their first sighting of goal as Cabaye swings in a free-kick from the left hand side and Mamadou Sakho gets up to head over the crossbar from close range. The rain is pouring down here at Old Trafford.

05 - Mata, who scored the winner against Palace in the 2016 FA Cup triumph, gives the Reds the perfect start here and it's allowed the team to settle into the game. Palace boss Roy Hodgson looked down in disbelief as the goal went in. It could be a long afternoon for the Eagles.

03 - What a start! For the second game running, the Reds take an early lead. Marcus Rashford does brilliantly to get out of a tight situation in the corner, completely bamboozling Joel Ward before getting to the byline and cutting the ball back for Juan Mata to sweep home from 12 yards into the bottom corner. Get in!

01 - Yohan Cabaye will get the game under way for Palace. Come on, the Reds!

MATCH STARTED

The players emerge to a rapturous reception from all four corners of the ground. United will be looking to continue our impressive start to the season here. Kick-off is almost upon us...

The final preparations are being made on the pitch for the imminent arrival of the players from the tunnel. The atmosphere is building up nicely inside the Theatre of Dreams...

SOMEONE LOOKS LIKE THEY'LL HAVE A GREAT VIEW TOO

Here is what our view looks like as the players warm up on the pitch ahead of this afternoon's game.

Today’s referee is Mike Dean, who will take charge of his 60th United match and his first since the Reds’ goalless draw at Southampton in May. The 49-year-old, who is the most experienced Premier League official, will oversee his fifth top-flight match of the season.

Crystal Palace boss Roy Hodgson feels his side face a tough challenge to stop the rampant Reds this afternoon. He said: “There's never a good time to play Manchester United. We are here to play against the big teams and I guess Jose will say it is not ideal to be playing on a Saturday after travelling back from Russia, but they have a strong squad.”

The Reds can equal our best-ever start to a Premier League season in terms of clean sheets if De Gea can shut out Palace today. Take a closer look at the numbers behind it.

De Gea also feels the visitors will be able to pose a threat in the absence of last season’s top scorer Christian Benteke, who is out for at least six weeks with knee ligament damage. Our no.1 said: “Benteke is obviously a great forward who scores lots of goals, so it’s a big shame for them, but it’s obviously good for us. I’m sure they’ve got other players who can step in.”

Despite Palace’s struggles at the bottom of the table, David De Geaemphasised the Reds shouldn’t underestimate the Eagles. “It’s important not to be complacent and do all we can because they need the points,” he told ManUtd.com. “I’m sure they’ll have been preparing all week and make it hard for us.”

The boss has guarded against his complacency this afternoon and feels the Eagles will get better. He told MUTV: “They are dangerous, a good team with good players and an experienced manager now. They’re not a team to be in the position they are and I’m sure they’re going to get out of it.”

United have won all three league matches at OT with an aggregate scoreline of 10-0 and are unbeaten in the 16 previous Premier League meetings with Palace, who are the first side in England’s top four divisions to lose the first six games of the season without scoring.

Here are a few snaps of the Reds making their way into the Theatre of Dreams a little earlier...

Palace XI: Hennessey, Ward, Sakho, Delaney, Van Aanholt, Townsend, Milivojevic, Cabaye, Schlupp, Puncheon, Sako.
Subs: Speroni, Kelly, Riedewald, McArthur, Mutch, Lee, Ladapo.

Roy Hodgson has made four changes to the Palace team thumped 5-0 across Manchester at the Etihad Stadium last week as Joel Ward, Damien Delaney, Jason Puncheon and Bakary Sako come in.

The boss has made five changes to the side which eased past CSKA Moscow on Wednesday as Valencia, Jones, Fellaini, Mata and Rashford come in for Lindelof, Bailly, Blind, Herrera and Martial.

Here is how the Reds will line up this afternoon against Crystal Palace…

We've been speaking to supporters outside OT ahead of kick-off. One fan, when asked about United's form, said: "I think it's been really good. We can now really enjoy seeing lots of goals and it's really good to watch." Listen to more views in our Fan Forecast.

It might be a wet and overcast day in Manchester but the Reds fans making their way to the stadium are in buoyant mood and why not? United are in great form and will be looking to continue our excellent goal-filled start to the season in style today.

Talking of the free-scoring Belgian, the boss was asked to give his assessment of Lukaku’s United career so far yesterday and said he cannot afford to leave him out of the team at present.

Romelu Lukaku has been phenomenal since arriving at the club and reached double figures for United by scoring twice in the midweek win in Moscow. Watch all of the striker’s goals so far and pick which one is your favourite.

The front cover of today's match programme reflects on our 100 per cent record at home this season. The Theatre of Dreams has been a fortress so far, long may it continue! You can get your copy of United Review at the stadium or online.

Today marks the final game for experienced journalist Stuart Mathieson, who has covered the club for 22 years as the Manchester Evening News' chief United reporter. Widely respected for his views on the Reds, he's reported on many memorable occasions for the club. We wish him well. Let's hope he has a win to cover today!

A familiar face will also be missing for Palace as Tim Fosu-Mensah is ineligible to play as he’s on loan from the Reds. The Dutch defender has been impressive so far, with Mourinho saying: “When you send players on loan, the objective is to play, so with Timmo, we can consider it a successful loan because he’s playing every minute of every game.”

Roy Hodgson, who will take charge of just his fourth Palace game today, has confirmed he’s without Christian Benteke, Ruben Loftus-Cheek and James Tomkins while Freddie Lapabo, who is yet to make his debut and is the club’s only fit striker, could feature.

The boss confirmed in his pre-match press conference yesterday that Michael Carrick, Paul Pogba and Phil Jones are definitely out, while Antonio Valencia is a “maybe” after also missing the trip to Moscow.

The Reds continued the impressive start to the season, and in Champions League Group A, with a stunning 4-1 victory away to CSKA Moscow on Tuesday night. Relive the goals again.

The Reds did the double over Palace last term and signed off the league season as Paul Pogba and Josh Harrop netted in a 2-0 victory at OT, with Mourinho fielding the club’s youngest ever Premier League line-up. Relive the two strikes.

The Reds can go three points clear at the top of the table ahead of Manchester City’s trip to Chelsea in the teatime game. Here’s how the fixture list looks this afternoon…

Huddersfield 0 Tottenham 3 (Latest)
Bournemouth v Leicester City
West Bromwich Albion v Watford
West Ham United v Swansea City
Stoke City v Southampton

United, joint leaders of the Premier League, have won five of the opening six league games and will be expected to claim another three points to keep up our 100 per cent home record this season against a Palace side who sit bottom of the table without a goal or a point so far.

The match kicks off at 15:00 BST so we’ll bring you the all-important team news at 14:00 BST. Before that, I’ll point you in the direction of our match preview which contains all the key information you need to know.

Hello and welcome to ManUtd.com’s live text coverage of Manchester United’s Premier League match against Crystal Palace at Old Trafford. I’m Adam Higgins, bringing you updates before, during and after this afternoon’s game, right here in our rolling blog.