Sir Alex chose to go with a starting XI that included noless than eight full internationals; Amos, Rafael and Macheda the only threeyet to gain full honours for their respective countries.  The only real surprise came with theexclusion of Zeki Fryers who started both previous rounds and performedadmirably in both.  He had to be contentwith a place on the bench but did not have to wait long to get in on the actionwhen Fabio succumbed to injury yet again just after the half hour mark.  The first half was more notable for theinjuries that occurred than any goal mouth action. Dimitar Berbatov received aknock and was replaced at half time while Palace’s Scannell and Moxey alsolasted only 45 minutes as injuries prevented them from taking any further part.  It was a dire affair and the half timewhistle was a welcome sound.  Onlyflashes from the lively Zaha sparked life in to an otherwise dull encounter.

Hope was given as the teams emerged for the second half whenit became apparent that Ravel Morrison would replace Berbatov.  It was the moment most United fans had beenwaiting for. He would finally get a decent stint on the pitch, and at OldTrafford.  The only downside was he wouldbe playing alongside players who could only dream of having the ability the boyhas.  Still, there was sense that hecould resuscitate an ailing United.  Hedid to an extent, testing the Palace keeper twice in the space of five minutes.The first a stinging drive from the edge of the area and the second an angleddrive that he struck right at the keepers legs; one he perhaps will look backon and feel he should have done better. Before these chances Antonio Valencia should really have given Unitedthe lead when he went through one on one with the keeper but, as has come to beexpected, he fluffed his chance and screwed it wide.

It seemed only a matter of time before the Reds would payfor those missed chances with Palace looking dangerous on the counterattack.  After sloppy play in midfield,Ambrose advanced with the ball and unleashed an unstoppable drive from all of35 yards.  It was a truly magnificentstrike and up there with the very best Old Trafford has seen. Think GabrielBatistuta, think David Trezeguet.  Thisgoal was up there with them.  Palace wereunable to hang on to the lead though and United were level within fiveminutes.  Macheda turned neatly in thebox and had his shirt pulled by McCarthy, the Italian went down and Chris Foyobligingly pointed to the stop.  Machedadusted himself down and made no mistake from 12 yards to give him his firstgoal for United when he has started a game.

While the second half was slightly more fluent than thefirst, United couldn’t break down a resolute Palace defence and so the gamelurched in to extra time.  The last thingthe 50 odd thousand in attendance probably wanted.  The Eagles grabbed the winner in the firsthalf of extra time when Murray outmuscled Jonny Evans to get on the end of adelightful free kick from Ambrose.  Theball flashed past Amos before he could get his hands up to stop it.  The Reds huffed and puffed but to noavail.  The third game at Old Trafford ineight days, all winless. They were out, a fate which will surely befall some ofthe players on show last night.

If Wednesday night and the aforementioned player’srespective performances does not draw the curtain on their United careers thenthere is something not quite right at Old Trafford.  Leeway has been given to both as they havebeen played out of position this season but, against Palace, they both hadtheir shot up front.  

Diouf started upfront with Macheda on the left and, although he didn’t get long, he didabsolutely nothing to warrant his selection there.  There was very little service to be fair buthis movement, sense of awareness and understanding were awful.  Rightly, he was shunted wide left where hiswork rate and pace may have been more beneficial to the team. It wasn’t.  He was terrible. He isn’t as bad as hisperformance suggested, you only have to look at him in the reserves, but heisn’t cut out for this level. And certainly not at United.  When you can’t even shield the ball properly,you know it’s the end of the line.

Macheda, although narrowly better and grabbed the goal, wasstill woeful.  It may be unfair to sayhis time is up given he is only recently back from injury and had to play as alone striker from the second half onwards but it’s the simple things that lethim down.  His second touch is invariablya tackle, his passing is awry to say the least and his propensity to take fourtouches instead of two almost always leads to surrendering possession.  He should have gone on loan but he didn’t sohe had to make the most of these chances. He hasn’t. Even a loan move inJanuary is unlikely to save his United career. If you can’t do the basics after two years of being around the firstteam, you are not going to make it here. Defeats like these usually spell the end for some players who wereinvolved. It was Obertan and Bebe last year. It’s Diouf and Macheda who couldbe culled twelve months on.

Firstly, the Unitedmanager should very rarely, if ever, have to apologise.  He put out a team that was more than capableof beating a Crystal Palace side who had failed to score a single goal in theirprevious five games.  But, seeing as he hasapologised for the performance, why has he not apologised for most of the season?When was the last time we put in a “Manchester United performance”?  I’m neither expecting nor wanting an apology,that’s football but why say it after a defeat like last night? I’d say it wasmore expected than at any other point this season given the players involvedeven though they should have got the result.

If an apology was tobe given it should have came in various other forms.  An apology from the hierarchy for theridiculous prices paid by those who attended Old Trafford to witness that drosswould have been nice.  An apology forpaying somewhere in the region of £4 million for Mame Biram Diouf whilenegligently failing to pay money to address serious issues in our squad wouldalso have been nice.  An apology forsticking with a player who we actively tried to sell in the summer ahead ofpromising youngsters who have been talked up by everyone at the club would havebeen even nicer.

But like I said, anapology is neither wanted nor necessary. An improvement is what we want.  Achange is what is necessary.

At some pointbetween 8.45pm and 8.50pm on Wednesday night, the moment most United fans hadbeen waiting for arrived. Ravel Morrison was introduced to Old Trafford and wasgoing to get meaningful minutes on the pitch. It turned out to be 75minutes.  Probably the only positive ofextra time was Morrison getting an extra 30 minutes.  Some, rather inexplicably, failed to see histalent.  Others, thankfully, did.  He wasn’t exceptional by any stretch of theimagination but he stood out in a United side that was full of unadventurous,under-performing internationals.  It wastoo much to expect he would thrill, dazzle and ultimately win us the gamesingle handedly.  Although in the back ofthe mind, I’m sure there was a thought that “just maybe, what if, he could youknow”.  He didn’t which is probably justas well. More tellingly he put in a mature performance, one that contradictedhis tender years.

He spent the first ten minutes feeling his way in to thegame, finding space but not being found with passes in to his feet.  When he did get the ball he wasn’t afraid todribble with it, he came deep to collect it, moved forward, passed it on andmoved to create more space. Pass and move. If only others could have followedhis lead.  He made it look simple.  The thing is, it was simple.  When he did get in and around the box, lifewas breathed in to our attack.  A ballfizzed in to him was nonchalantly flicked on and space was created for achance.  The flicks and tricks are theswagger he has to his game but they are effective.  They were incisive yet embarrassing to histeammates who struggled to accurately pass the ball five yards never mind backheel it that distance.  He also had twoof our best chances; it would have been no surprise if he did get on the scoresheet.  He’ll probably kick himself that hedidn’t.  He won’t let it affect himthough.  He’ll make sure he takes thosechances next time.

As I alluded to before, he stood out in that team which isthe most pleasing aspect of his performance. Too many times you see promising youngsters thrown in to a patch workside and suffer because of it.  It’s easyto fall to the level of those around you in that situation.  Morrison didn’t.  He still showed his undoubted ability andclass.  Perhaps disappointingly for himit was Berbatov he replaced, the one player in the line up who could havebrought out more in him.  However, itbodes well for the future. One can only assume if he plays this well with thestiffs, he will excel with the superstars.

All that said, I don’t expect him to feature much more in thefirst team this season. Depending on the FA Cup draw he could get some minutesbut Ferguson won’t pitch him in to Premier League battle. Not while we have 18fit first team players. The hard part will be telling him that and controllingthe undoubted disappointment that will follow. He’ll (rightly) feel he belongsnow in light of the abject performances around him but he’ll not be thrust into the first team yet.

Defeat to Palace brought an end to a Carling Cup run thatwas far from exciting but it did bring a few positives.  The competition brought debuts for PaulPogba, Michael Keane, Larnell Cole and Zeki Fryers.  While Tom Thorpe, Reece Brown, Jesse Lingard,Marnick Vermijl and Will Keane got a taste of what it is like to be involved inthe 18.  This competition is, and alwaysshould be, about introducing young players in to the first team.  In that respect, this season has been a success.

He, who will feel most benefit from it, is Zeki Fryers.  A surprise inclusion against Leeds, heexcelled in that game and put in another solid performance againstAldershot.  It was not thought his timewould come this season especially after a terrible injury last season but itdid and he grabbed it.  So much so he hasalso had a taste of Champions League action. He was stable last night but was guilty of being sloppy inpossession.  It was he who lost the ballthat led to the Ambrose strike by trying to dribble forward instead of passingit.  

A mistake was inevitable, theyhappen to the best of players.  He’llrecover from the disappointment of being involved in the team that was knockedout and look to push on.  The left backspot needs competition and he has given Sir Alex an option with hisperformances.  He has been the noticeablepositive in a campaign that offered very little.

Ratings: Amos 5,Rafael 5, Smalling 6, Evans 5, Fabio 4, Valencia 3, Park 4, Gibson 5, Diouf 1,Macheda 3, Berbatov 3

Subs: Fryers 5, Morrison 6, Pogba 5,