Man Utd take big step under Michael Carrick after Gary Neville claims he is in 'box seat' for permanent job

Gary Neville's pre-match claim that Michael Carrick was in the box seat for the Manchester United job looked to have backfired when Maxence Lacroix headed Crystal Palace in front after four minutes at Old Trafford.

The Sky Sports pundit had warned his former team-mate of the risk Palace posed as United looked to capitalise on Aston Villa's surprise slip at Wolves to strengthen their chances of Champions League qualification.

"The run they have been on has been a shock to everybody," said Neville of United pre-game. "Michael would not have expected this in his wildest dreams.

"He has to keep it going until the end of the season. Today is a big part of that. These games can trip you up.

"Michael is in the box seat for the job. Looking at what is happening now, I think they will qualify for the Champions League."

United played their worst half an hour of football under Carrick in the first half against Palace when it seemed Neville's warning had fallen on deaf ears.

But the players once again showed a resilience that was not always present under the previous head coach to regain their composure before the break. Had Casemiro headed in unmarked at the back post they could have gone in level.

Carrick's side were firmly on top after the restart but Lacroix's second-half sending off, thanks to the intervention of VAR, swung the game entirely in their favour.

Bruno Fernandes scored from the subsequent spot-kick and set up Benjamin Sesko's winner as United avoided defeat when going behind for a third time since Carrick took over.