Manchester United Suffer Setback Against Crystal Palace at Old Trafford

Manchester United’s struggles continued as they were beaten 2-0 by Crystal Palace in a disappointing Premier League encounter at Old Trafford on Sunday afternoon. The result leaves Ruben Amorim’s side languishing in 13th place, with their attacking woes and defensive frailties coming to the forefront once again.

Jean-Philippe Mateta was the star for Palace, scoring both goals in the second half to seal the victory. The defeat also saw Manchester United lose key defender Lisandro Martinez to what looked like a serious knee injury late in the game, adding further concern to their already difficult season.

United made a promising start to the match, with Kobbie Mainoo, deployed as a striker, creating early chances. The teenager struck the post within the first 10 minutes and was involved in several other openings, including setting up Alejandro Garnacho for a close-range effort that was blocked. Despite the early pressure, United struggled to convert their dominance into goals, and the game soon became more cagey.

At the other end, Palace showed their threat on the counter-attack, with Mateta proving dangerous. The first half saw both teams unable to break the deadlock, but Palace’s presence on the break was evident, and they came close to scoring through Mateta, whose effort was ruled offside.

The second half saw Palace break the deadlock just after the hour mark. Eberechi Eze, introduced in the 61st minute, delivered a free-kick to Maxence Lacroix at the back post. Lacroix’s header hit the bar and fell kindly for Mateta, who calmly tapped it in for the opener.

United responded by introducing more attacking options, including Rasmus Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee, but their efforts proved futile. Despite several good chances, including a shot from Bruno Fernandes and a header from Hojlund, the equalizer never came.

Palace sealed their win in the final minutes. A well-timed pass from Jean-Philippe Mateta’s teammate allowed him to latch onto a ball down the right wing and finish clinically to give Palace a 2-0 lead.

The match was further marred by an injury to Lisandro Martinez, who went down clutching his knee after a challenge with Palace’s Sarr. Martinez was stretchered off, and his injury will certainly be a concern for Amorim moving forward.

After the match, a dejected Ruben Amorim spoke to the press, acknowledging that while the performance had improved from recent weeks, the result was still disappointing. He also expressed concern for Martinez, describing the injury as serious and highlighting the need for the team to rally around the defender.

“We controlled the game, but we suffered two goals that we could have avoided,” said Amorim. “It’s a hard season for the fans. We’ll work hard and move forward.”

On the other side, Crystal Palace’s manager Oliver Glasner was pleased with his team’s resilience. He praised Mateta’s clinical finishing and looked ahead to further strengthening his squad. “It’s a big win for us,” said Glasner. “We stay humble and keep going. There will be at least one more signing before the window closes.”

Mateta’s brace propelled Palace into 12th place, as they leapfrogged United in the standings. For United, the defeat underlined their ongoing struggles, especially in attack, with the team now failing to score in the first half of 18 Premier League matches this season, the most of any team in the competition. The defeat at Old Trafford marked United’s seventh home loss in 13 league matches this season, a record that matches their worst-ever start to a league campaign.