Manchester United Embarrassed By Palace At Old Trafford

 

Crystal Palace secured a stunning 2-0 victory over Manchester United, courtesy of a brace from the in-form Jean-Philippe Mateta. 

Palace played excellently to regain winning form after their five-game unbeaten run in all competitions was snapped by Brentford. Meanwhile, the loss left Ruben Amorim's side languishing below mid-table of the Premier League. 

Initially, United looked well into the game before visitors began to assert their dominance, with Mateta and Kamada squandering gilt-edged opportunities. The first half went through goalless, hence United did not have it the same after halftime. 

Lacroix's header from a lofted Eberechi Eze's free-kick crashed against the crossbar and bounced into Mateta, who was on hand to tap in the rebound, sending the Palace ahead. 

The visitors then sealed the victory in the fast break launched by Daniel Munoz as he squared up a pass with Mateta, who latched on, in between Harry Maguire and Zirkzee. Having enough space in front of the goal, he notched the ball into the net for his second goal. 

Crystal Palace's victory propels them above United in the Premier League table, with Mateta's scintillating form a key factor in their resurgence. As the Eagles soar to new heights, United are left to ponder their next move, with a UEFA Europa League campaign offering their most viable route to silverware this season.

Overview 

What a difficult game that was for Manchester United? They were not just formidable enough to break Palace's defense resolve. Rasmus Holjund was rendered ineffective on the attack and both Garnacho and Amad were fended off from capitalizing on chances. 

Conversely, Mateta was the Palace's hero as well as Eze, who was directly involved in both goals scored by the striker. Unlike their opposition, United's defense was not as solid to check those scoring moments, especially the second goal. Mateta was allowed the needed space to latch on the through pass that set off the winning goal. 

As United pushed to pull back the goals, Palace's defense held firm, with Henderson producing a string of impressive saves.