However, they would have left Selhurst Park empty handed had it not been for Onana’s heroics in the second half; he produced an outstanding double save to deny Eddie Nketiah and then Ismaila Sarr in the second half.
United’s best chances fell the way of Alejandro Garnacho, who was denied by Palace goalkeeper Dean Henderson both before and after the break, as well as rattling the woodwork prior to the interval.
As Erik ten Hag’s men pushed for a goal, Hojlund was sent on from the bench to try and produce one, marking his first appearance of the season after overcoming a hamstring injury he suffered in pre-season. And for Onana, his return, plus the impending comebacks of others, will be key to United’s chances of getting points on the board.
Onana told Sky Sports: “He’s [Hojlund] a key player for us and we are all happy because he’s coming back and [Tyrell] Malacia also came back yesterday [trained on Friday], so it’s important to have everyone back and then the manager will make the choice and we’ll be happy with that.
“We’ll have to see this guy on the pitch, but I know he will score important goals for us. We need our guys back, we need Luke Shaw back. I’m happy to see him on the pitch.”
On the result itself, Onana added: “It’s always nice to keep a clean sheet but the most important thing, especially playing for Manchester United, you have to win.
“We didn’t win today, but we came here with the mentality [to win]. We will go back home disappointed.”
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