Manchester United 0-2 Crystal Palace: Red Devils' home woes continue with defeat to Eagles
Manchester United's troubles at Old Trafford persisted as they suffered a 2-0 loss to Crystal Palace in the Premier League on Sunday. Despite aiming for a fourth consecutive victory in all competitions, United were second-best for much of the game, with Palace dominating the first half and creating several opportunities to punish their hosts.
The breakthrough finally came in the 64th minute when Jean-Philippe Mateta reacted quickest after a header off the crossbar, slotting home to give Palace a deserved lead. United searched for an equalizer but lacked creativity in the final third, and Mateta struck again in the 89th minute, sealing a seventh home league defeat for United this season. The result sees Palace leapfrog United into 12th place, with the Red Devils slipping to 13th in the standings.
"The result is really bad," United manager Ruben Amorim told Sky Sports. "The performance was a little bit better than the last games. We controlled the transitions quite well for Crystal Palace. It's normal for the fans to feel negative, it is a hard season for them but football can change in certain moments. I will prepare the next game and move forward. Better things will come."
United entered the match off the back of their best run under Amorim, having secured a third straight win in all competitions against Steaua Bucharest on Thursday. However, Amorim has yet to achieve consecutive league victories since taking charge in late November—an unwanted record that no United manager has endured since Tommy Docherty in the 1972-73 season.
The game began with a tribute to those who lost their lives in the Munich air disaster 67 years ago, and Kobbie Mainoo, playing as a central striker, nearly gave United the perfect start, hitting the post with a deflected effort. However, Palace, who had won four of their last five away matches, looked the more threatening side early on, with Daniel Muñoz and Tyrick Mitchell both testing the United defense.
As halftime neared, Andre Onana produced a stunning save to deny Mateta, keeping the score level at the break. United’s struggles in first halves continued, having now failed to score in 18 of their 24 league games this season before halftime.
United upped their attacking intent after the restart, forcing Dean Henderson into smart saves against Bruno Fernandes and Manuel Ugarte, but they were ultimately undone when Maxence Lacroix’s header struck the crossbar, allowing Mateta to pounce from close range.
Despite late pressure, United failed to create clear-cut chances, and Palace sealed the win with a clinical counter-attack in the 89th minute, as Mateta bagged his second of the night, sparking celebrations among the traveling supporters.
United’s seventh home league defeat in 13 matches equals their worst-ever tally at this stage of a season, a record dating back to 1893-94. To make matters worse, Lisandro Martínez was stretchered off in the second half with a suspected serious knee injury, adding to United’s growing list of concerns.
SportsLigue