Michael Carrick continued his stunning start to life as Man Utd head coach as his team came from behind to beat Crystal Palace 2-1 at Old Trafford.

16:13, 01 Mar 2026

Heard the one about the Brazilian, the Portuguese and the Slovenian in Manchester? A second-half comeback at Old Trafford in front of a fanbase displaying pride at its roots was inspired by Matheus Cunha, Bruno Fernandes and Benjamin Sesko, pushing Manchester United a step closer to the riches of the Champions League.

Sir Jim Ratcliffe, absent on Sunday, will be raising a glass to that and to the immigrants who are making it happen. Back at home for the first time since Ratcliffe controversially claimed the United Kingdom was being “colonised by immigrants”, a banner above the tunnel in the Stretford End made the feelings of most supporters clear.

‘MUFC Proudly colonised by immigrants,’ it said. The irony was probably lost on Ratcliffe that he was talking about the majority of the club’s playing squad when he made those comments.

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The history of this club would be very different without those players who, at some point or another, have moved to the UK and made Manchester their home. Recent history would be even more traumatic without Bruno Fernandes, the inspirational captain who moved here from Lisbon and now embodies United’s spirit more than any other player in the squad.

With his team on the ropes, he summoned the reserves to take control of this game and put them firmly in the box seat for a return to the Champions League, a stage on which Fernandes belongs and one which he has been denied too often in his Old Trafford career.

He scored the equaliser and created Benjamin Sesko’s winner, and with United now up to third in the Premier League, they might be heading to Europe with Michael Carrick in charge. A win against one of his potential rivals for the job won’t go unnoticed, even if it is one that comes with some caveats.

For the third game in a row, United underwhelmed in the first half, and when Carrick sprinted for the dressing room at half-time, he looked like a man who knew he had work to do.

Maxence Lacroix had taken advantage of some slack Leny Yoro defending from a corner to give Palace a fourth-minute lead, and Oliver Glasner’s team were the better side before the break. Yoro has had a challenging season, and having given away a needless penalty in the reverse fixture, he was bullied by Lacroix here.

Palace threatened to score again in the early stages. Tyrick Mitchell wasted a good crossing opportunity and Ismaila Sarr stung the palms of Senne Lammens, with United’s full-backs given a particularly difficult time of things.

United weren’t helping themselves, either. It has been a feature of Carrick’s management that he is an unflappable touchline presence, but for the first time, there were signs of animation as his team continued to give the ball away. Luke Shaw, Diogo Dalot and Yoro were all wasteful early on and with Bryan Mbeumo and Cunha again playing narrow, the lack of width made United too predictable.

It made playing with tempo even more important, and it took United too long to go through the gears, although they started to find a better rhythm towards the end of the first half. Harry Maguire, Sesko and Casemiro all threatened with headers, and the latter should have scored, while Fernandes forced Dean Henderson to tip over his 25-yard free-kick.

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Carrick got his message across at the break, but in truth, United were gifted a route back into the game. Cunha spun away from Lacroix and bought a foul, with the Palace defender leaving his hand on Cunha’s shoulder in the penalty area. When Chris Kavanagh went to the VAR screen, Old Trafford’s pitchside hoarding suggested he was checking for a penalty.

What he saw convinced him that not only was it a foul and inside the box, but Lacroix had denied a goalscoring opportunity as well. His dismissal tilted the balance in United’s favour, especially when Fernandes wrong-footed Henderson from the spot.

With 10 of this Palace side having started on Thursday night, it seemed unlikely they would survive an onslaught, especially with Fernandes in the mood to make things happen. He was at the centre of everything and delivered a superb right-wing cross that was devoured by Sesko, who thundered his header past Henderson for his sixth goal in seven games, and fourth for Carrick.

Sesko had been elevated to start after playing the role of super sub to perfection, and Carrick’s man management impressed again. Amad had dropped out, but when he replaced Sesko, he looked in the mood to prove a point. Twice he forced Henderson into saves as United tried to give themselves breathing room.

That comfort never arrived but they survived without too many scars and departed the pitch to that familiar refrain of ‘it’s Carrick, you know’. He is one big step closer to keeping this job.

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