Man Utd news: Red Devils beaten by Crystal Palace as Old Trafford woes continue
A Jean-Philippe Mateta brace inspired Crystal Palace to a 2-0 victory over Manchester United at Old Trafford on Sunday.
After experiencing something of a purple patch recently, relatively speaking, it was back to the old ways for Ruben Amorim’s charges as they capitulated against so-called lesser opposition.
To compound the home side’s misery, Lisandro Martinez suffered what appeared to be a serious leg injury in the second half to throw the rest of his season into doubt.
Sports News Blitz writer Robert Bore examines the fallout of yet another Red Devils loss.
Striking issues force Red Devils into tactical tweak
Amorim made six changes from the midweek win over Steaua Bucharest, mindful of both the need for rotation and the desire to keep up momentum after three wins on the bounce.
Palace were never going to be pushovers, though, having won four of their last five on the road in the league and – more ominously – three of their last five at Old Trafford.
United decided to go without a frontman for the clash, Kobbie Mainoo being set up in a forward role on the back of doing a decent job there in Romania on Thursday.
It was a bold move, with United having drawn blanks in their last three games against Palace, but perhaps the struggles of Rasmus Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee had forced Amorim’s hand.
Of course, there was also no sign of Barcelona Birmingham-bound Marcus Rashford who, to be frank, I am sick to death of hearing about anyway.
Lively opening period from both sides
Amad Diallo caused the first ripple of fear for United fans as early as the opening minute when the Ivorian forgot which way he was shooting and almost got mugged in his own six-yard box before Andre Onana cleared.
Thereafter, believe it or not, things actually looked positive from the home side.
Mainoo got to the byline after a nice pass by Noussair Mazraoui but, while his cut-back to Alejandro Garnacho was good, the youngster's shot was ably blocked.
Seconds later, United went even closer, Mainoo's effort beating Dean Henderson only to bobble back off the far post.
With Mainoo looking dangerous in attack and Garnacho plus Amad tucking in behind him to keep the Palace defenders occupied, it seemed that the tactics were working.
As always, though, there was a background threat from the visitors and Palace duly fired a warning shot across the bows when Daniel Munoz headed over after Diogo Dalot had decided to not jump for the ball for some reason.
Hopefully new-signing Patrick Dorgu – paraded pre-match with fellow new signing Ayden Heaven – can defend a little better under pressure.
It was an open game from there as United forced a couple of corners that Leny Yoro and Lisandro Martinez should have done better with.
Then Jean-Philippe Mateta ran 80 yards from his own box to feed a long-range effort by Jefferson Lerma that stung Onana's gloves, and it did not feel like a 0-0 game.
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Visitors take control as hosts wane
Palace should have gone ahead after 20 minutes when Tyrick Mitchell blasted the ball goalward, but Ismaila Sarr's head edged the ball away from Mateta's lunge and a certain goal was averted.
Predictably, the game hit a lull for a bit, with Palace a staunch yellow wall in defence and dangerous on the break.
Mateta could have scored when played in behind the United defence thanks to Harry Maguire breaking the line, but the Frenchman was denied by a combination of Onana's fingertips and some vicious spin on the ball.
The best two chances of the game had fallen to the visitors and United's threat looked to have subsided in the face of a well-drilled London outfit.
Although the stats only showed one shot on target, there were really three golden opportunities for Palace, a fact manager Oliver Glasner happily noted post-game.
Martinez then skewed a shot high and wide from the edge of the Palace box and the whistle brought the first half to a halt soon after.
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Palace grab a deserved goal through Mateta
Maguire went into the referee’s book inside the opening five minutes of the second half after taking out Mateta, with a dangerous free-kick and intricate training-ground routine ending up in Onana's grasp much to the relief of the crowd.
United went straight up the other end where Amad found Bruno Fernandes arriving late on the edge of the box, but Henderson stretched well to parry out for a corner and the breakthrough remained elusive.
Will Hughes subsequently escaped a booking for a lunge on Fernandes and, from the resulting free-kick, the United skipper found the head of Maguire at the far post whose nod back across goal was met by a Manuel Ugarte volley that Henderson gobbled up.
Palace turned to talisman Eberechi Eze on the hour after the Englishman was surprisingly left out of the starting line-up, presumably due to fitness concerns, and then it happened.
Maxence Lacroix headed goalwards from a far-post free-kick, looping the ball high over a characteristically flat-footed Onana, and as it dropped back off the crossbar it landed plum for the alert Mateta to stab it home from close range.
Alas, the goal drew little more than a sigh from the United fans, accustomed as they are to their side falling behind this season.
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Mateta seals the points for Londoners
Zirkzee and Hojlund were readied as the dice came out with 20 minutes left, Amorim pulling off Mainoo and Mazraoui in the process.
In all honesty, the false nine experiment with Mainoo had looked good for the first 15 minutes or so before falling flat thereafter.
Unfortunately, more doom followed as Martinez saw his knee buckle the wrong way after a tumble with Sarr, leading to a stretcher being readied along with Dutchman Matthijs de Ligt.
With the game significantly delayed and their side a goal to the good, Palace fans threw out a spirited rendition of "you're going down with Southampton", and you could not begrudge them the fun.
Christian Eriksen later replaced Ugarte for his 300th Premier League appearance as the clock ticked on.
Everyone was wondering if United had something in reserve but, as it turned out, it was Palace who had that little bit extra when a lightning break – not to mention more shenanigans from Maguire – saw Munoz keep a calm head to square the ball for Mateta to stroke home a second.
Hojlund almost headed in a consolation with a couple of minutes of added time remaining, but many would have missed it as Old Trafford was already emptying.
In the end, the in-form side took the three points and there was no shock to be had.
Summary
While United controlled the match for large periods, they did so with the cutting edge of a blunt spoon or one of those plastic ones you use to feed babies.
It was not a poor performance by any stretch of the imagination, certainly not in comparison to some recent games at Old Trafford, but three points dropped is three points dropped.
And the sound of another Premier League also-ran – disrespect intended – taking the piss from the stands for the final 20 minutes is wearing thinner than Prince William's hairline.
Plus, when Rashford bags a hat-trick on his Villa Park debut, the joke really will be on United.
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