Summary Manchester United registered a 2-0 win over Crystal Palace in the Premier League.
LONDON (Agencies) - An inspired Matteo Darmian scored his first goal for Manchester United and set up another as Louis van Gaal s side kept alive their hopes of a top-four finish with a 2-0 home win over Crystal Palace on Wednesday.
Darmian unleashed a screaming volley with his weaker left foot early in the second half, after Palace defender Damien Delaney turned the Italy fullback s sharp low cross into his own net in the fifth minute.
Playing in an adventurous formation with Wayne Rooney in a deeper role behind the front four, United were denied more goals by a string of superb saves by visiting goalkeeper Julian Speroni.
The 36-year-old Argentine kept out a barrage of stinging shots from Anthony Martial, Juan Mata, Jesse Lingard and Rooney, but was powerless to stop Delaney s own goal and Darmian s thunderbolt which went in off the post.
In other games Liverpool maintained their stranglehold over Everton in the Merseyside derby with a one-sided stroll against their local rivals who had Ramiro Funes Mori sent off for a horror-tackle in the second half.
Liverpool were never under any serious or sustained pressure and scored twice late in the first half through Divock Origi and Mamadou Sakho, both from James Milner crosses, before Daniel Sturridge came off the bench to make it 3-0 and Philippe Coutinho finished off the rout.
Also a penalty double from Mark Noble helped West Ham United complete a comfortable 3-1 win over Watford that kept their pursuit of European football firmly on track.
Andy Carroll, who has hit a purple patch at the perfect time as he bids to win a spot in Roy Hodgson s England squad for Euro 2016, hit his sixth goal in last five league games with an awkward looking volley to open the scoring after 11 minutes.
Noble scored twice from the penalty spot either side of halftime before Sebastian Proedl swept home after 64 minutes to reduce the deficit. Any hope of a late fightback, however, was effectively snuffed out when Troy Deeney s late penalty for the visitors was saved.
