Manchester United haven’t managed a Premier League double over Crystal Palace since the 2015/16 season.
Since Michael Carrick took over as head coach in January, Manchester United have been enjoying their strongest spell of the season.
The unbeaten stretch includes five wins and a draw, bringing Champions League qualification within reach with 11 games left to play.
Carrick will want to make it back-to-back victories against Crystal Palace on Sunday after a 1-0 win over Everton. That would move them above Aston Villa into third place.
Man Utd haven’t done the league double over Crystal Palace since 2016/17
Crystal Palace have proven to be a tough opponent for United in recent years, as it has been quite some time since the Red Devils secured a league double over the Eagles.
In November, United fought back from a goal down to beat Palace 2-1, with second-half goals coming from Joshua Zirkzee and Mason Mount.
At that point in the season, Oliver Glasner’s side were enjoying good form and were in the top half of the table. However, much has changed since then.
United are now in the top four and could move into third place. That highlights the progress made under Carrick compared to Ruben Amorim’s tenure earlier in the season.
The next challenge for United and Carrick is to secure a win over Palace. This would be their first league double against them since Jose Mourinho was manager during 2017/18.
Palace have taken points off several teams around United in the standings this season, including Aston Villa, Chelsea, and Liverpool.
Carrick will need to ensure his players stay focused because a win here could be crucial for building momentum towards a strong finish.
How Mourinho secured a league double over Crystal Palace
The last time United did the double over Palace, the first meeting took place in September 2017 and ended 4-0 at Old Trafford.
It was a strong attacking display as United won 4-0 for the fourth time in seven league matches.
Juan Mata opened the scoring after three minutes before Marouane Fellaini completed a brace and Romelu Lukaku sealed the win with a fourth.
In March 2018, United travelled to Selhurst Park and won 3-2 after trailing 2-0. The comeback was achieved after goals were scored by Chris Smalling, Lukaku and Nemanja Matic.
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