Jean-Philippe Mateta delivered a masterclass at Old Trafford, scoring twice to hand Crystal Palace a convincing 2-0 victory over Manchester United. The result piles more misery on Ruben Amorim’s side, who suffered yet another setback in an already disappointing campaign.
Hoping to secure back-to-back Premier League wins for the first time this season, United endured a frustrating afternoon. Amorim made the bold decision to leave out £100 million worth of attacking talent in Rasmus Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee, instead opting for Kobbie Mainoo as a false nine. However, the experiment failed to pay off, as United struggled to break down a well-organized Palace side.
Palace’s breakthrough came when Maxence Lacroix’s header struck the crossbar, and with Andre Onana at full stretch, Mateta reacted quickest to turn the bouncing ball into an empty net. The Frenchman doubled his tally in the final minute, tapping home a low cross from Daniel Muñoz to seal the win.
To compound United’s misery, Lisandro Martínez was stretchered off in tears after suffering what appeared to be a serious knee injury following a tangle with Ismaila Sarr. The Argentine defender’s absence will be a significant blow for Amorim, whose side is already struggling for consistency.
A Historic Low for Manchester United
The defeat drops United to 13th place in the table, with Crystal Palace leapfrogging them into 12th.
• They have now lost seven of their first 13 home league matches this season, their worst record at this stage since 1893-94.
• United have failed to score in the first half of 18 different Premier League games this season – the most of any team in the competition.
• Since the start of last season, only Wolves (16) have lost more home matches in the Premier League than United’s 13.
