Putting in yet another worrying performance at Old Trafford on Saturday afternoon, Manchester United slumped to a toothless 1-0 defeat at the hands of Crystal Palace.
Set to come under even more scrutiny and crashing back down to earth here, it was Danish defender Joachim Andersen who powered home midway through the first-half following a small deflection off of a helpless Diego Dalot.
With the frustration palpable around Old Trafford, the Red Devils are set to come under even more scrutiny as they slumped to their fourth Premier League defeat from their opening seven appearances.
Failing to find any kind of fluidity on either side of the half-time break, Erik ten Hag faces another public backlash.
While Saturday’s 1-0 win at Old Trafford might have been Palace’s first Premier League victory since returning from September’s international break, the Eagles certainly impressed with a rugged performance here.
Leapfrogging United and finding a route into the top-half of the Premier League table, we have taken a look at the main talking points from Saturday’s battle in Manchester.
United back to their worst at Old Trafford
While Manchester United might have been hoping that they had turned a welcomed corner prior to Saturday’s showdown at Old Trafford, the Premier League heavyweights certainly came crashing back down to earth in a speculator fashion here.
Despite being tipped as a landslide favourite to make it three domestic victories on the bounce here, ten Hag’s side will be more than aware that they face another huge backlash.
Missing out on what they would have billed as a golden opportunity on home soil, the former Ajax boss finds mounting pressure on his shoulders in the red half of Manchester.
Opening their Champions League adventure with a nightmare display away at German giants Bayern Munich earlier in the month as they fell to an action-packed 4-3 defeat, ten Hag’s side have come under a huge amount of scrutiny since opening up the 2023/24 campaign.
Losing four of their first seven Premier League appearances, United now face a real uphill battle in their bid to claim another top-four finish this season.
The Eagles claim some immediate revenge
Crashing out of the EFL Cup earlier in the week following that 3-0 drumming at Old Trafford, Crystal Palace simply returned to the red half of Manchester looking to put in a far more professional display.
While Roy Hodgson’s side might have largely impressed before heading into September’s international break, the Eagles had struggled to find much stability when returning from the fortnight interval.
However, despite marking their return to Premier League action with an infamous last-gasp collapse away at Aston Villa as they fell to a 3-1 defeat on September 16th, the one-time England boss will take away a host of positives from Saturday’s famous 1-0 victory at Old Trafford.
Recording a first Premier League victory at Old Trafford since September 2020, Palace will be desperate to use Saturday’s performance as a platform to build on going forward.
Limiting United to only a handful of clearcut chances on either side of the half-time break, Hodsgon’s men will be next seen on October 7th when they welcome Nottingham Forest to Selhurst Park.
United are crying out for a clinical edge
While Manchester United might have at least bagged a trio of strikes away at Bayern Munich earlier in the month, ten Hag’s side have struggled to find any kind of clinical edge on Premier League duties.
Drawing a blank on Saturday afternoon and failing to ask many questions of Palace’s defence, the Red Devils have now failed to notch more than a single strike in any of their previous four top-flight showdowns.
Despite edging past Burnley last weekend as they snatched a 1-0 victory away at the Premier League returners, United are still waiting for the likes of Marcus Rashford to match a similar level that they the England international set last season.
Dragged off midway through the second-half after putting in a toothless performance, ten Hag’s men are still waiting for big-money summer arrival Rasmus Hojlund to open his Premier League account after completing a £72million move from Atalanta.
Now facing what looks like a major uphill battle, the Dutch tactician has a string of questions that need answering sooner rather than later.
Match Report
Manchester United: Onana, Dalot, Varane, Lindelof, Amrabat, Casemiro, Mount, Pellstri, Fernandes, Rashford, Hojlund
Subs: Maguire, Martial, Eriksen, Garnacho, Van de Beek
Crystal Palace: Johnstone, Ward, Andersen, Guehi, Mitchell, Hughes, Doucoure, Ayew, Eze, Schlupp, Mateta
Subs: Richards, Riedewald
Goals: Andersen (25’)
Yellow Cards: Manchester United: Casemiro, Mount, Amrabat Crystal Palace: Hughes, Ward
Red Cards: N/A
Referee: Chris Kavanagh
