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Crystal Palace achieved back-to-back victories at Old Trafford, after a spectacular 3-1 win over Manchester United on Saturday.
The home team got off to the worst possible start, with Jeffrey Schlupp picking Andros Townsend at the far post, who clinically finished the play with a delightful finish. United struggled to get going, and their terrible start was exacerbated in the second half when former Red Devil Wilfried Zaha converted a penalty recovered from a hand from Victor Lindelof. Donny van de Beek’s latest goal gave the locals a glimmer of hope, but it was soon extinguished again by Zaha, who found the corner of United’s net, dooming his former team to their first loss of the new season.
Positive
A crumb of comfort for United will be the fact that they created opportunities. For most of the game, they seemed to be in control, opening up good opportunities for attackers. However, as the score line attests, they lacked a clinical advantage, possibly due to oxidation. Mason Greenwood’s halftime introduction injected XI with some life, as the teen nearly scored a header shortly after entering. The most influential late replacement was Van De Beek, who expertly converted his late shot on goal.
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Negative
From a defensive point of view, United were once again susceptible to dangerous counterattacks and crosses. Against a lazy baseline, players like Zaha and Jordan Ayew were always going to cause trouble. David De Gea again demonstrated why many fans are calling for his retirement, as poor distribution and a weak attempt to stop Townsend’s goal put the home team in a difficult position from the start. Looking ahead, Bruno Fernandes endured a rare day off, giving away the ball cheaply on numerous occasions. Based on this evidence, it would appear that most United players are just weeks away from keeping up with the pace of the Premier League.
Manager rating out of 10
5 – Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was forced to do a slightly improvised XI, and many of his usual starters lacked physical form for the match. Timothy Fosu-Mensah played well on the right back, but others, such as Daniel James and Luke Shaw, struggled to impress their authority on the game. Solskjaer’s pairing of Lindelof and Harry Maguire at the heart of United’s defense again looked shaky, best evidenced by Schlupp’s assist for the game’s opening goal.
Player ratings (1-10; 10 = best, players submitted after 70 minutes get no rating)
GK David De Gea, 5 – Should have had a firmer hand on Townsend’s opening goal, with his overall distribution also below average. His offense at the Palace penalty goal line was another embarrassing moment, as it gave the Londoners another chance to double their lead.
DF Timothy Fosu-Mensah, 6 – He stepped in to replace Aaron Wan-Bissaka, who was quarantined during the offseason. The Dutchman greatly impressed despite being on a less solid United back line.
DF Victor Lindelof, 4 – Another difficult day at the office. His night got off to the worst possible start, after he failed to deny an early cross from Schlupp to the box, ultimately leading to Palace’s first goal. A hand in the second half gave Palace a crucial penalty, from which Zaha eventually converted.
DF Harry Maguire, 5 – The captain stood his ground from the start, avoiding being dragged out of position most of the time. Aerially, he was solid as ever, but as the game progressed, Zaha far outstripped the 27-year-old.
DF Luke Shaw, 5 – The former Southampton player’s lack of pace was once again exposed to a quick attack from Palace. He couldn’t come back and deny Townsend at the back post, and overall struggled to keep up with his opposite number for the remainder of the game.
MF Scott McTominay, 7 – As many of his teammates were unable to get going, the 23-year-old was consistently strong in the middle of the park. He pressed and tackled hard, all while keeping the ball moving well.
Victor Lindelof had another difficult day in the heart of the Manchester United defense when the Red Devils fell to Crystal Palace. Getty
MF Paul Pogba, 6 – The World Cup winner was eager to make his mark, but the ball never fell quite right this time. He got a handful of decent saves from the Palace stopper, but overall a game to forget for the languid midfielder.
MF Bruno Fernandes, 6 – He started the game very badly, giving away possession of the Palace on more than one occasion. He slowly improved as the game progressed, but this was not the same Bruno we saw at the end of last season.
FW Marcus Rashford, 6 – He showed glimpses of what he’s capable of, but like many of his teammates, the forward seemed to lack sharpness in matches.
FW Daniel James, 5 – Cut an isolated figure at times, as the link play with Fosu-Mensah on the right side never quite fitted. As expected, he was replaced in the second half.
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FW Anthony Martial, 6 – The Frenchman grew increasingly frustrated with his teammates as the game progressed. He hardly took a shot in anger.
Substitutes
FW Mason Greenwood, 7 – He should have done better with a short-range header, but overall, he added good energy and industry to United’s attack.
MF Donny van de Beek, 7 – He seized his opportunity magnificently, giving Untied a glimmer of hope later.
FW Odion Ighalo, N / R – It was too late to have a significant impact.
Source: espn.co.uk
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