MAN UTD 0, CRYSTAL PALACE 2
Fortress Old Trafford has long disappeared as Manchester United suffered a seventh home Premier League loss in 13 matches.
It is their joint worst home record – the other season was 1893/94 – as Crystal Palace became the latest club to leave with maximum points.
After wins at Fulham and FCSB in the Europa League in their last two fixtures, United returned home in high spirits.
But it was a case of two steps forward and one back as Ruben Amorim’s side failed to deliver on the day the club marked the 57th anniversary of the Munich air disaster.
There is no comparison between this second-rate side and the legendary Busby Babes who, sadly, never got to fulfil their potential as eight players lost their lives on February 6, 1958.
United have issues at both ends of the pitch – they continue to leak goals at an alarming rate and their lack of a cutting edge at the opposite end of the pitch glaring.
Despite spending about £100m on Rasmus Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee, they have failed to score in nine of their 24 games, only Everton (12) and Southampton (10) have failed to score more often in the Premier League this season.
United have also failed to score in the first half of 18 different league matches this season, the most of any team in the competition.
There was also a further blow with Argentine defender Lisandro Martinez leaving the field on a stretcher with what appeared a serious injury.
“It looks bad and a serious situation,” admitted head coach Ruben Amorim.
“He is not only a great player but a strong character in the dressing room. He felt it and when you are a player, you know when it is something serious. We are here to help him in this difficult moment like he has helped us.”
Amorim raised eyebrows with his team selection leaving Rasmus Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee on the bench and playing midfielder Kobbie Mainoo as a false nine.
“Today I chose to play Kobbie, but that is nothing against Rasmus and Josh,” he said.
Despite the defeat, Amorim felt there were improvements, adding: “During the game, I felt that the team did some things well.
“We suffered two goals that we can avoid, which is really disappointing today. We take some things from the performance but not the result.
“It is a hard season at this moment, the players try different things to improve. We need to move forward. We had more possession, more connections, we created chances, but we couldn’t score and that was the difference today.”
Amorim was asked about the added pressure of playing at home, saying”I didn’t feel that but it is difficult to play here because we want to please our fans. This season is going to be like that, I said it since the first day.”
It was an altogether different story for Palace who won at Old Trafford for a second successive season and extended their unbeaten run on the road to eight matches.
Embed from Getty ImagesPalace manager Oliver Glasner said: “We defended really well today, we struggled in some moments at the start and after half time.
“We scored from a set-play but had two or three big chances in the first half and we had to keep the belief. We knew there would be moments where we had to survive because every team has this at Old Trafford. Big credit to the team and the players today.
“We’re just enjoying this moment, a big win. I will enjoy this moment, even if it is a long journey [Crystal Palace’s flight back to London has been cancelled so they have to get the coach instead].”
Glasner also saluted Mateta, adding: “We don’t always talk because he knows what we demand of him. With his two goals today, he is amazing in the box.
“He has the feeling that a number nine must have in the box. He makes so many runs where he doesn’t get the ball. You need to suffer as a striker because you make so many runs where you don’t get the ball. He gets the reward, and it decides the game for us.”
Amorim made six changes from Thursday’s 2-0 Europa League win over FCSB.
Alejandro Garnacho started at Old Trafford after coming off the bench to assist Mainoo in midweek.
Andre Onana, Harry Maguire, Lenny Yoro, Amad Diallo and Manuel Ugarte all returned to the starting line-up.
Glasner made one change to the Palacestarting line-up after last weekend’s 2-1 loss to Brentford in the Premier League.
Daichi Kamada came in for Eberechi Eze, who dropped to the bench.
There were poignant events pre-match to mark the 57th anniversary of the Munich air disaster which claimed the lives of eight of the Busby Babes.
This was the nearest fixture to February 6, the date of the disaster and both managers laid wreaths before kick- off and the song Flowers of Manchester played.
United also paraded new signings Patrick Dorgu (Lecce) and Ayden Heaven (Arsenal) pre-match, a glimpse of the future under Amorim.
Mainoo was involved from the start cutting the ball back for Garnacho to fired narrowly wide and then striking the upright with a shot.
Palace also went close in the opening 10 minutes when Daniel Munoz headed wide from Tyrick Mitchell’s cross.
The game continued at a fast and frenetic pace as Martinez had a shot deflected over while Palace’s Maxence Lacroix’s drive forced a diving save from Onana and Ismaila Sarr glanced a header from Mitchell’s cross wide.
Palace ought to have gone ahead six minutes before half time when Jefferson Lerma’s superb through ball sent Mateta clear, but he poked his shot just wide,
United began the second half brightly and Amad Diallo set up Bruno Fernandes whose shot was well parried by former Reds’ keeper Dean Henderson who made a winning return to Old Trafford.
Henderson had to be at his best to keep out Ugarte’s volley after Maguire headed Fernandes’ free kick back across the face of goal.
But it was Palace who snatched the lead midway through the half as Mateta netted his 12th goal of the season.
Lacroix’s header from Eberechi Eze’s free kick crashed against the bar and Mateta reacted quickest to slot home the rebound.
Amorim’s immediate response was to pull off Mainoo and Noussair Mazraoui and replace them with Hojlund and Zirkzee.
There was a further blow when Lisandro Martinez left the pitch on a stretcher after falling awkwardly after a challenge with Sarr.
Martinez immediately signalled it was serious and he was replaced by Matthijs de Ligt. That was soon followed by Ugarte making way for Christian Eriksen.
United’s afternoon got a whole lot worse when they conceded a second goal in the 89th minute as Mateta struck again.
Sarr’s excellent pass sent Munoz scurrying clear on the right and he squared a pass to the far post where Mateta was completely free to fire home from 10 yards.
In the seventh of nine added minutes, Hojlund flashed a header past the upright which summed up United’s miserable afternoon.