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Just like a never ending seasonal action movie – Manchester United‘s struggles continued as they suffered yet another demoralizing 2-0 defeat at the hands of Crystal Palace at Old Trafford on Sunday evening. The loss at their backyard and in front of their fans further exposed the Red Devils’ vulnerabilities, particularly in defense, where they were repeatedly caught out by Palace’s swift counter-attacks.
The visitors began brightly, launching a blistering counter-attack within minutes of kickoff. Amad Diallo’s decision to dribble back toward his own goal, rather than clearing the ball, raised eyebrows, but he managed to escape the pressure. United responded with a promising attack, but Alejandro Garnacho’s shot was deflected out for a corner.
Palace squandered a gilt-edged opportunity on 10 minutes, with Daniel Muñoz heading over from a well-timed cross. United’s Martinez then saw his shot blocked by a resolute Palace defense. The visitors retaliated with a daring counter-attack, resulting in Maxence Lacroix’s thunderous long-range effort, which Andre Onana impressively saved.
As the first half drew to a close, Palace’s Odsonne Edouard directed a close-range header wide, while Jean-Philippe Mateta broke through the United defense, only to see his effort sail wide of the far post. United’s desperate struggles to find a breakthrough were evident, with Martinez floating a late effort over the top.
The second half began with Ruben Amorim’s side seeking to inject life into their attack. However, it was Palace who drew first blood at Old Trafford on the afternoon, with Mateta’s 64th-minute strike. Eberechi Eze’s free-kick found Lacroix, whose looping header hit the crossbar, allowing Mateta to pounce on the rebound and blast the ball into the net.
United’s woes deepened on the sunny afternoon when Lisandro Martinez suffered a worrying injury, forcing him off the pitch. The Argentine defender was stretchered off, clearly in tears, and replaced by Matthijs de Ligt. The resulting free-kick almost saw Palace double their lead, with Jefferson Lerma’s header whizzing past the far post.
Disaster struck for United in the 88th minute, as Palace sealed their victory with Mateta’s second goal. The French striker latched onto a long pass on the right flank, controlled the ball, and then buried it into the back of the net, leaving United’s players and fans stunned.
Christian Eriksen came on for Manuel Ugarte, making his 300th Premier League appearance, but it was too little, too late for United. The defeat raises questions about United’s defensive frailties and their inability to capitalize on scoring opportunities when gotten. With the transfer window hours from being closed, Amorim will need to find solutions to address these concerns.
The Red Devils’ faithful although will be hoping for a swift turnaround in fortunes, but for now, the team’s struggles continue at least for the game week. United’s lack of depth and quality in certain areas of the pitch has again been further exposed, and it remains to be seen how Amorim will address these issues in the coming weeks.
