Manchester United dropped two points against Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park.

United took the lead through a Bruno Fernandes goal in the first half. However, a late super free-kick sucker punch from Micheal Olise ensured Palace got a share of the points.

The Red Devils had 61% possession of the ball to Palace’s 31%.

Erik ten Hag’s men registered 15 shots, with four being on target. Palace, on the other hand had ten shots, with five challenging David de Gea.

The Reds made 617 passes with a pass accuracy of 81%. Palace made 392 passes with a success rate of 73%.

Lisandro Martinez had a fantastic performance in the game. The Argentine started his first Premier League game since his World Cup triumph and did not miss a beat.

Martinez had 106 touches of the ball and a pass accuracy of 90% to his name.

The defender made an incredible 85 passes in a show of his ability on the ball.

Martinez, ever the reliable defensive presence, won five ground duels and two contests in the air against Palace’s tricky attackers.

He also made three crucial clearances and made a similar number of tackles in what was a superior defensive showing from him.

Martinez completed 100% of his dribbles against Palace. He attempted two and was successful on both occasions.

The World Cup winner also contributed attacking-wise. He made two key passes.

Lisandro Martinez’s game by numbers vs. Crystal Palace:

106 touches
90% pass accuracy
85 passes completed
5 ground duels won
3 clearances
3 tackles won
2/2 dribbles completed
2 key passes
2 aerial duels won
1 yellow card

Good performance on his return to the starting XI. 🔪 pic.twitter.com/cLnEXTwqHe

— Statman Dave (@StatmanDave) January 18, 2023

Martinez has certainly put himself in contention to start against Arsenal. That he was dominant with very few minutes in the tank is an encouraging sign for United fans.

His defensive acumen will surely be needed against Arsenal, especially now that Casemiro will not be available.