Man United vs Crystal Palace: Fred scores winner as Ralf Rangnick kicks off EPL reign with victory

• Man United vs Crystal Palace EPL meeting ended in a 1-0 win in favour of the Red Devils
• This was Ralf Rangnick's first match since his appointment as the new United boss
• Fred scored the all-important goal in the second half to earn his side maximum points

Ralf Rangnick has had a dream start to life as the new Man United boss after the Red Devils secured a 1-0 win over Crystal Palace on Sunday, December 5, at Old Trafford.

Rangnick was appointed to the role last week to succeed Ole Gunnar Solskjaer who was axed after United's poor run of results.

The German tactician was in line to take charge against Arsenal but had to wait to have proper documentation in place to gain access to the touchline.

And the 63-year-old had what would pass as a perfect start after leading his charges to victory in his first game in charge.

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Brazilian midfielder was the unlikely match hero as his solitary goal in the second half inspired the hosts to a vital win.

Despite their dominance in the early exchanges of the encounter, United were unable to create enough clear-cut goalscoring opportunities.

However, the second half saw Palace grow slowly into the match, with Jordan Ayew missing a golden chance to put them into the lead.

With 13 minutes left on the clock, the home side took the lead through Fred who swept a wonderful right-footed finish and into the far corner.

Efforts by the Eagles to equalise in the remainder of action proved futile, with Rangnick's men clinging on to the lead to claim maximum points.

The win was enough to fire the Red Devils to sixth on the log with 24 points, just three off a top-four place.