Manchester United 2-0 Crystal Palace: Premier League – as it happened

We’re going to wrap this blog up now. United go to Wembley on Saturday with confidence; Palace need to improve significantly. Thanks for reading. Bye!

Everton have been stuffed. Read more here:

And West Ham comfortably beat Watford, 3-1.

A comfortable, and impressive, victory from Man United: they needed to win, and they did, and looked assured in doing so. Palace were pretty hopeless, to be honest, and never recovered from that terrible start, but United played with authority in midfield, and they could have scored more goals. Mata, Rooney and Rashford were the pick of the United players, and Louis van Gaal’s team move just a point behind Arsenal, who host West Brom tomorrow.

90 min +3: Old Trafford has emptied extremely quickly. Palace have barely put together an attack.

90 min +2: Valencia gets clear on the right after nice work between Memphis and Blind, but Fellaini is whistled for climbing. That’s not like him.

90 min: Mata is nearly in, and his touch is perfect, but he’s crowded out by a posse of defenders and Palace clear. Three added minutes.

89 min: David de Gea has had such an easy night. He’s barely had anything to do. Palace have been so ineffective.

88 min: One disappointing aspect of United’s play tonight has been their crossing. They’ve been very impressive in possession, but if their final ball was better, this could have been four or five. Where’s David Beckham when you need him?

87 min: Memphis worries Kelly by the touchline and wins a corner after a lovely elastico, but he might have done better. The corner, predictably, is a waste of time.

85 min: Again, nice build-up from United, and Martial, this time on the right, is free in acres of space … and he spanks his cross out of play for a throw. Appalling.

84 min: United happy to keep the ball. But that’s an incisive pass from Herrera to set Valencia free – disappointingly for United, the cross was poor.

82 min: Palace look thoroughly disheartened. They don’t look like scoring. Weirdly, Palace have never beaten United in the Premier League.

81 min: Memphis goes for goal from the left, but Mariappa does well to get a toe on it and send it wide for a corner.

Taken short, and wasted.

80 min: Smalling and Mutch clash as Palace look to break, and for a moment Smalling looked like he was hurt, but he’ll be OK.

79 min: Memphis wins a corner after nice work from Darmian. The Dutchman takes it, and Smalling is nearly in! He just couldn’t quite get a toe on it. Final change for United: Fellaini on for Rooney, who receives warm applause.

77 min: Lovely combination between Mata, Herrera and Valencia, but Delaney is across to cover well. Valencia was nearly in.

76 min: Well, that tactical strategy is dead in the water, because Adebayor is replaced by Connor Wickham.

75 min: Palace win a free kick on halfway, and McArthur smacks it into the United box, where panic reigns, but Adebayor can’t quite make it count. Maybe that’s Palace’s best option: go direct, and hope Adebayor can get some joy against one of United’s full-backs.

74 min: I think I’m right in saying that Palace haven’t had a shot on target. Their display has been lame, in truth. Not the best warm-up for Sunday.

72 min: Mata takes it short, and nearly finds Lingard for a shooting chance on the end, but Palace do well to hustle it clear. Now Smalling attacks the second ball, but he can’t get the power, and it slips behind.

Ander Herrera is on for Jesse Lingard, who can look back on a solid night’s work.

71 min: Rooney fizzes one across goal, and Mariappa heads behind. Superb cross, and well defended. Corner.

70 min: Rooney looks crossfield for Valencia, who’s pushed up really high against Souaré, but the pass is overhit, and it’s a Palace throw. Twenty minutes to go, and United look in the mood for more goals.

67 min: It looks as though Martial is now playing through the centre. Memphis is wide left. United completely in charge of possession, and Palace look forlorn.

65 min: United seem to be enjoying themselves here. Put the flags up! Another change for Palace, and James McArthur is on for Cabaye.

64 min: Rashford receives a hearty reception from the United fans, and many hi-fives from the United bench. He’s been excellent tonight. Memphis is on in his place.

63 min: Sako goes for goal from about 35 miles out. It’s deflected off the wall, headed up in the air, and De Gea claims.

62 min: Oh, that should have been three! First Lingard, then Rashford, but Speroni does well, and then bollocks his defence for some slack play. Then Palace break, Darmian shoves Zaha, and the Italian is booked.

61 min: Mata and Lingard have switched positions effectively tonight: they’ve been at the heart of United’s best moments.

60 min: Jordon Mutch is on for Lee Chung-yong, who’s been quiet. Palace have been second best tonight.

58 min: Actually, I misspoke: Darmian’s goal wasn’t a volley – it was a bouncing ball. But he hit it really well. A goal and an assist tonight for the Italian.

56 min: That was Darmian’s first Manchester United goal, and what a goal it was. Such a pure strike! Speroni grasped thin air. Now United attack again, and Rooney finds Martial in the box, but Martial’s attempt is dreadful, and a mile over the bar.

55 min: United won a corner after Mata’s shot was tipped round by Speroni. Blind took it, it was headed clear, but Darmian chested it down, charged into the box, and hit a lovely, dipping volley with his left foot right into the top corner. No chance Speroni. That was brilliant!