Juan Mata's third goal of the season secured a 1-0 victory for Manchester United over Crystal Palace this afternoon.

The Spaniard came off the bench during the second half to make his match-winning contribution in the 66th minute.

Here, Sports Mole rates the performances of all the players that were on show at Old Trafford.

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Goal

David de Gea: Unusually, it was a quiet afternoon for the Spaniard, who will not be complaining. He did make one catch of note in the second half to deny a certain goal. (6/10)

Defence

Luke Shaw: The 19-year-old is starting to look the part in United's left-back position. It was another all-action performance from Shaw as he defended and attacked to a high standard. (8/10)

Daley Blind: The Dutch international started the game at centre-back, moved into midfield and later dropped back into the defence. Despite that, he was always composed, apart from one moment when he failed to communicate with his partner. (6/10)

Paddy McNair: Aside from that lack of communication with Blind, McNair was faultless. He's only 19, but there is a real argument for suggesting that he has been United's best centre-back when he has played this season. (7/10)

Antonio Valencia: He may not be a full-back, but you know that you will always get an honest performance from Valencia, who didn't break that tradition today. (6/10)

Midfield

Michael Carrick: It was like Carrick had never been away as he sprayed passes left, right and centrally. His positivity in possession will have been a big plus for his manager. (8/10)

Marouane Fellaini: The big-haired Belgian has received praise for his recent outings, but he was quiet today. United had plenty of possession and looked to keep the ball on the floor whenever possible, which meant that he was often bypassed. (6/10)

Adnan Januzaj: Making his fourth start in succession, the youngster struggled to make an impact. On the couple of occasions that he did break free before being substituted, his delivery let him down. (5/10)

Angel di Maria: A third largely disappointing outing in a row for the club's record signing, who looks unhappy when played out wide. Having said that, he did set up Mata's goal before he was replaced. (6/10)

Wayne Rooney: Playing once again in a deeper role, Rooney struggled to make an impact. He was robbed of possession on occasions, but did improve after the restart when pushed slightly further forward. (6/10)

Attack

Robin van Persie: A mixed outing from the centre-forward, who did show some good movement at times. However, there was large spells when he was ineffective and looked isolated. (6/10)

Substitutes

Juan Mata: The playmaker will have be stinging from his recent omission from the starting lineup, but he came off the bench to prove a point by scoring the winner and also hitting the post. It wouldn't be a surprise if he starts next time out. (7/10)

James Wilson: Another lively outing from the teenager, who is certainly pushing hard for a starting role. He worked hard out of possession and looked calm on the ball. (6/10)

Darren Fletcher: The Scot was brought on in the second minute of stoppage time, which left him no time to make an impact.

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Goal

Julian Speroni: It was all going so well for the Palace goalkeeper and then he allowed Mata's effort to squirm through his hands and into the net. (5/10)

Defence

Adrian Mariappa: Up against Di Maria, the right-back can be pleased with his work. He kept the Argentine quiet and also got forward when he could. (6/10)

Damien Delaney: A towering display from the returning centre-back, who bravely threw himself in front of numerous shots. (7/10)

Scott Dann: Not quite as effective as his partner-in-crime Delaney, but Dann still produced a positive defensive performance. (6/10)

Joel Ward: The left-back was so good that he nullified Januzaj to the point where the youngster was substituted. He also showed good vision on occasions to release his more attack-minded teammates. (7/10)

Midfield

James McArthur: The Scot certainly worked hard, but he saw very little of the ball to have a decisive influence on proceedings. (6/10)

Joe Ledley: Similar to McArthur in that he covered plenty of ground to help protect his defence. (6/10)

Jason Puncheon: There were occasions when Puncheon threatened to cause some problems with his pace and direct approach, but he never quite delivered. (6/10)

Yannick Bolasie: On occasions the winger did cause some problems, but not as many as he would have wanted. His game is still lacking some consistent end product. (6/10)

Attack

Fraizer Campbell: His missed chance will be keeping him awake tonight, that's for sure. Having capitalised on a defensive lapse, it looked a certain goal, only for Campbell to lob over. It was a bad and costly miss. (5/10)

Marouane Chamakh: Considering that he was up against two inexperienced centre-backs, you would have expected Chamakh to fancy his chances of getting on the scoresheet, but it was a poor showing from the Moroccan. (5/10)

Substitutes

Dwight Gayle: Pace is obviously Gayle's major attribute, but he never really got to use it after coming on to the pitch. (5/10)

Barry Bannan: The pint-sized midfielder carried on the positive workrate of those in the midfield before him, but he never really got any good possession of the ball to be a threat. (6/10)

Kevin Doyle: Brought on in stoppage time to try to score an equaliser, but the Irishman didn't touch the ball.

Written by
Liam Apicella