Pre-Season: It’s Man United 3 Crystal Palace 1

• New Manager Ten Hag goes tactical

English Premiership side, Manchester United made it three wins from three games in their ongoing Tour 2022 with a comfortable 3-1 victory over Crystal Palace in Melbourne early on Tuesday.

The Old Trafford Landlords opened the scoring after 17 minutes, with Anthony Martial coming good on his early promise, after two strong chances beforehand. A wonderful cross from Diogo Dalot was chested down and fired home by the Frenchman, thus keeping up his record of scoring in all three of the Reds’ pre-season outings.

United increased the tally in the 48th minute through Marcus Rashford while Jadon Sancho completed the scores in the 59th minute. However, Palace reduced the tally with their solitary goal coming from 33-year-old Joel Ward.

Assessing his team showing against Crystal Palace in Melbourne, new manager Erik Ten Hag said despite a third win out of three Tour 2022 matches for the Reds, “there is still much improvement to be made before we kick off the Premier League season against Brighton & Hove Albion on 7 August.”

Speaking to MUTV’s Mark Sullivan and ex-skipper Bryan Robson at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, the Dutchman seemed particularly pleased with the brilliant second goal against the Eagles, a real team effort, but supplied an in-depth answer when speaking about what his side can still get better at.

He said; “I think it’s pre-season and we are happy with the improvement we see but also you see a lot of work to do. We scored some wonderful goals and that is also true. I agree [that we are winning the ball higher up in the field in dangerous positions] and that is also the demand on the team.

“We press all day and, if we can, do that high up the pitch. But if we can’t, we get to do that in a lower block but we also have to press and do it together as a team.”

When asked by Robson to pinpoint a specific area that can be improved, Ten Hag replied; “The timing. When you start the press. For instance, I see still switches we can avoid and we can prepare a better press.

“And I think, also on the ball, we play well but you see, in the end, when it’s 2-0 or 3-0 up, the belief is increasing. And then, also on the ball, we can delay and we can postpone and we can fight opponents so they come out and we can speed up. The 2-0 [goal], especially, was a great goal.”

The next game up for the Reds is Aston Villa at the weekend, with the squad flying on to Perth for the fourth fixture of Tour 2022.