A disjointed Manchester United suffered yet another home setback, falling 2-0 to a resurgent Crystal Palace at Old Trafford. The loss marks United’s fifth defeat in their last six home league fixtures and plunges them further into
turmoil.
Palace, under the stewardship of Oliver Glasner, leapfrogged United in the table, climbing to 12th place. The visitors’ resurgence was spearheaded by Jean-Philippe Mateta, who netted both goals in the second half to secure the victory.
United began brightly, with youngster Kobbie Mainoo—deployed as an unconventional center-forward—coming closest to scoring when his effort clipped the post. However, their offensive spark soon dimmed, and defensive frailties proved
costly once again.
The introduction of Eberechi Eze, returning from injury, transformed Palace’s attack. His expertly delivered free-kick led to Maxence Lacroix’s header crashing off the bar, allowing Mateta to pounce and break the deadlock. The night
turned even darker for United when Lisandro Martínez was stretchered off with a suspected serious knee injury.
Palace capitalized on United’s vulnerability, sealing the win as Daniel Muñoz surged through a disorganized Red Devils’ backline before unselfishly setting up Mateta for his second of the night.
