Shock results dominated the midweek slate, none more notable than Wolverhampton Wanderers’s last-gasp win over Liverpool. The round was less chaotic than the weekend, but several individual displays caught the eye of statisticians at FotMob.

Cole Palmer (Rating: 8.6) was central to Chelsea’s response in the Midlands. Chelsea had looked likely to suffer a fourth Premier League match without victory after conceding early at Aston Villa, but they recovered to secure a 4–1 win and capitalise on slips from Liverpool and Man Utd in the race for Champions League qualification. As he’s so often been at Chelsea’s best, Cole Palmer was integral to an important win in the Midlands. The attacking midfielder returned to the scoresheet as he rattled beyond Emi Martínez for his side’s third of the evening, a rare non-penalty goal these days, and his general play laid the foundations for an impressive attacking display.

Adam Wharton (Rating: 8.6) returned to form for Crystal Palace as the Eagles recorded a significant 3–1 away victory at London rivals Tottenham Hotspur. Wharton offered a composed head amid a frenetic end to the first half, supplying two assists to complete Palace’s quick-fire comeback. The first was a simple pass to Jørgen Strand Larsen but the second was a sumptuous through ball poked home by two-goal Ismaïla Sarr.

James Garner (Rating: 8.7) continued a quietly excellent season in Everton’s midfield during their 2–0 win over Burnley. Garner’s set-piece quality provided the opening goal; a teasing free kick delivery to the far post led to James Tarkowski’s opener. He finished the game with more touches than anybody else on the pitch and a match-high 13 defensive contributions, underscoring how influential he has been in Everton’s engine room this campaign.

These three performances were among the brightest in Gameweek 29, each combining tangible statistical impact with decisive moments that helped their teams on the night.

Manchester United overturned an early deficit to beat 10-man Crystal Palace 2-1 and move into third place in the Premier League table for the first time since 2023. The match swung on two decisive moments: Lacroix conceded a penalty and was sent off for pulling Matheus Cunha in the area, and Bruno Fernandes converted the spot kick to level the scores.

Bruno Fernandes remained the principal creative force throughout a sterile first half, producing the penalty and then delivering the cross that Benjamin Šeško met shortly after the hour mark. Šeško’s header was his seventh goal of the calendar year and extended his rich vein of form; four goals in his last five matches now. The Slovenian had earlier missed a similar chance but made no mistake at the second opportunity.

United’s control over the remainder of the game was helped by Lacroix’s dismissal. The win lifts Michael Carrick’s side above Aston Villa on goal difference.

Palace had taken the lead from a set piece, with Leny Yoro losing his marker and allowing Lacroix an unmarked header. That opening goal exposed the absence of Matthijs de Ligt and Lisandro Martínez and made the fixture more difficult for United early on. Luke Shaw was withdrawn with an injury midway through the first half.

Individual notes

GK: Senne Lammens—6.7: Seldom tested but stood up to the challenge when occasionally forced into action. Helpless to rebuff Lacroix’s effort.
RB: Diogo Dalot—7.5: Alarmingly sloppy in possession early but found life easier against tiring opposition.
CB: Leny Yoro—6.8: Dismal man-to-man defending allowed Lacroix to open the scoring.
CB: Harry Maguire—7.4: Competed well against Jørgen Strand Larsen.
LB: Luke Shaw—6.0: Started but was withdrawn due to injury.
DM: Casemiro—8.2: Effective from set pieces and combative.
DM: Kobbie Mainoo—7.6: Prioritised simple passes and stability.
RW: Bryan Mbeumo—7.2: Energetic but unable to influence the final outcome.
AM: Bruno Fernandes—9.2: A goal and an assist; his leadership was decisive.
LW: Matheus Cunha—7.2: Won the penalty that changed the game.
ST: Benjamin Šeško—7.9: Recalled and delivered with a composed header.

Subs: Noussair Mazraoui 7.2, Amad Diallo 6.8, Ayden Heaven N/A, Joshua Zirkzee N/A. Subs not used: Altay Bayındır, Tyrell Malacia, Jack Moorhouse, Manuel Ugarte, Tyler Fletcher.

Key match statistics: Possession 61%–39%, xG 2.12–0.38, Shots 20–8, Shots on target 11–3, Big chances 3–0, Passing accuracy 86%–76%, Fouls 13–12.

Michael Carrick delivered a cautious injury update on Lisandro Martínez ahead of Manchester United’s trip to Crystal Palace. The Argentina international was absent from Monday night’s victory over Everton and will not be available for Sunday’s match at Selhurst Park.

When asked about Martínez, Carrick downplayed the seriousness of the problem and stressed a short recovery period. “It will be a matter of days,” the interim boss told MUTV . “Hopefully, it won’t be too long. We’ll assess him over the next day or two, and see where he is.”

Carrick had already said Martínez missed the Everton game because of a buildup issue. “It doesn’t seem too bad at all, but we’re just working through that at the moment, so he’s not available,” he said at the time.

Leny Yoro stepped in as a direct replacement in the centre of defence against Everton. With Matthijs de Ligt also sidelined, Carrick used Yoro alongside Harry Maguire, with Diogo Dalot and Luke Shaw expected to occupy the right and left full-back positions respectively. Ayden Heaven appeared off the bench on Monday night and remains part of the available options.

United face Crystal Palace on March 1 and then travel to Newcastle United three days later, a schedule that could influence Martínez’s return. There is an 11-day Premier League break before the visit to Bournemouth, which further shapes recovery windows.

Carrick also provided updates on other absentees. “Mason is getting closer, Matthijs is a little bit behind Mason but, if we can get the boys back, we’ll get them back as soon as we can,” Carrick said. “Patrick [Dorgu] is a little bit further down the line really, in terms of a number of weeks but he’s progressing well.”

Dorgu had impressed in January wins over Manchester City and Arsenal, scoring in each match before being forced off against Arsenal. The Denmark international has missed five weeks with a thigh problem and could be out for up to 10 weeks, which would point to a possible return in early April.