M anchester United's woes at Old Trafford worsened on Sunday as they suffered a 2-0 defeat to Crystal Palace, with Jean-Philippe Mateta scoring twice to secure all three points for the visitors.
Despite entering the match on a three-game winning streak, United were unable to maintain their momentum in the Premier League, enduring their seventh home league defeat of the season.
The result saw Palace leapfrog United into 12th place, further damaging the Red Devils' hopes of securing European football next season.
Crystal Palace Capitalize on Manchester United's Missed Chances
After a pre-match tribute to the victims of the Munich air disaster, United started brightly, with Kobbie Mainoo, playing in an unfamiliar central striker role, hitting the post with a deflected shot. However, Crystal Palace quickly asserted control, looking more dangerous in attack. Daniel Munoz and Tyrick Mitchell both came close before Mateta forced a stunning save from Andre Onana just before halftime.
United's struggles in the first half continued, marking their 18th goalless opening half in 24 league matches this season.
After the break, United showed more urgency, with goalkeeper Dean Henderson—facing his former club—denying Bruno Fernandes and Manuel Ugarte. However, it was Palace who broke the deadlock in the 64th minute. Maxence Lacroix's header hit the crossbar, and Mateta reacted quickest to fire home from close range.
United pushed for an equalizer, but their attack lacked creativity, and Mateta sealed the win in the 89th minute, finishing off a clinical counterattack to send Palace’s away fans into celebration.
Further Setbacks for United
Adding to United’s misery, Lisandro Martinez was stretchered off in the second half after suffering a suspected serious knee injury. The emotional scenes as the Argentine defender left the field raised concerns over a potential lengthy spell on the sidelines.
Since taking charge in November, new manager Ruben Amorim has yet to secure back-to-back league victories, a streak that no United boss has endured since Tommy Docherty in the 1972-73 season.
With the season rapidly slipping away, United must find solutions quickly or risk missing out on European competition altogether.
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