This archive report was first published on 17 July 2020.
Manchester United's quest for a top-four finish in the Premier League received a significant boost on July 17, as they secured a 2-0 win over Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park.
The victory, which extended United's unbeaten run to 19 games in all competitions, saw them move back level on points with Leicester and within one point of third-placed Chelsea.
Despite a lackluster performance, United's goals from Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial proved decisive, with VAR playing a crucial role in denying Palace a penalty and an equalizer.
Palace chairman Steve Parish expressed his frustration with the VAR system, tweeting, 'Is the VAR broken? How can they look at Sakho 'handball' for minutes to make their 'mind up' and not even give that a glance! It's a stonewall nailed on penalty even the most one-eyed Man U fan knows it.'
However, United's players and manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer remained focused on their goal, with Rashford playing a key role in Martial's second goal, which sealed the win.
The victory marked a significant milestone for Rashford, who is set to become the youngest person to receive an honorary doctorate from the University of Manchester for his work campaigning against child poverty.
