No Bruno? Huge problem. Manchester United was thrashed by Crystal Palace in London in what may be the worst performance by a Manchester United side in the Premier League era. Below, I analyze how it happened and what went wrong.

WARNING: It is hard to read…

First Half

The first real chance of the match turned into the first goal as Michael Olise made Manchester United’s makeshift backline look poor in the 12th minute. Olise picked the ball up and first stepped past a sliding Casemiro. The Frenchman then dribbled straight through the remaining United defenders, as no one stopped the ball, and found Andre Onana’s back post with an easy finish.

Michael Olise continued to star. In the 20th minute, his poked shot was blocked by his teammate Mateta, as it looked destined for the corner. Two minutes later, he had a decent strike saved by Onana.

Rasmus Hojlund thought he had equalized for United in the 27th minute, but after a long internal debate, the referee whistled for a foul on the Dane. Dean Henderson may have gotten away with that one, though, as the contact looked minimal, and his fall to the ground was quite extravagant.

Crystal Palace doubled their lead in the 41st minute through Jean-Philippe Mateta. United lost the ball in the midfield, and one pass to Mateta from Chris Richards opened the game up completely. The Palace striker skipped past Evans, who dove in and smashed the ball past Onana at his near post.

Despite 67% possession, Manchester United were outshot in the first half and failed to register an effort on Dean Henderson’s goal. Not much could have gone worse for Erik Ten Hag’s side.

Second Half

Manchester United’s first shot on target came from Antony in the 50th minute on an attempted curling shot from outside the box.

Manchester United were undone again in the 58th minute as left-back Tyrick Mitchell got on the scoresheet. A poor clearance from Jonny Evans was collected by Adam Wharton, who played a great ball to the back post. Joachim Anderson scrappily connected with the cross and knocked the ball back for Mitchell, who tapped it in for the home side.

Michal Olise made it four with a stunning left-footed strike in the 67th minute. Casemiro lost the ball pitifully to Daniel Munoz, who played the ball back for Olise’s second goal of the match. Crystal Palace’s press dominated Manchester United all day and turned into another goal.

After Olise’s second, the players on the pitch gave up and might as well have gone home early. Crystal Palace controlled possession and was even allowed to show off by the Reds. The worst part is that no player stepped up to stop it as heads were kept down, and no player produced any fire to get the team going.

Brief Analysis

Crystal Palace destroyed Manchester United from the first to the final whistle. It is no secret that Ten Hag’s struggle against the press and Palace pressured United at the back and in the midfield perfectly. Only one goal, Tyrick Mitchell’s, could not be directly linked to a United giveaway.

One glaring difference between the sides today was how each team progressed the ball forward. When United had the ball, the build-up was slow, with many passes going side to side and few players looking for the defense-splitting pass. As soon as Palace won the ball back, they were looking for the next pass forward. Not only did they progress quickly, but they had options when pushing forward. Daniel Munoz repeatedly found space on the right side from the back and collected two assists.

There was not a single positive to take from the match. Possession was wasted, attacks were poor and slow, the defending was laughable, and no tactical changes were made during the match to combat Crystal Palace’s fluidity. This is a new low for an already horrid season.

Man of the Match

Michael Olise. No Manchester United player can be mentioned here. If the reports are accurate, Olise could be United’s first signing of the summer, and based on this performance, he should be. Olise produced two solid goals and dazzlingly dribbled through United’s defense numerous times. Palace’s number Seven destroyed United today and is exactly who we need as the rebuild under Sir Jim Ratcliffe begins.

Player Ratings

Starting XI
Andre Onana: 3
Diogo Dalot: 3
Jonny Evans: 3
Casemiro: 2
Aaron Wan-Bissaka: 3
Kobbie Mainoo: 3
Christian Eriksen:3
Mason Mount (Off 80th): 3
Rasmus Hojlund (Off 80th): 3
Antony (Off 60th): 3
Alejandro Garnacho: 3

Substitutions
Sofyan Amrabat (On 60th): 3
Amad Diallo (On 80th): Too late
Ethan Wheatley (On 80th): Too late

Looking Ahead

Manchester United host an in-form Arsenal side at Old Trafford on Sunday. Changes are coming at Old Trafford, and some could be made during the week. With three games remaining before the massive FA Cup Final, United need to find something to provide confidence, or the final will be one to forget.

Drop your thoughts on today’s match in the comments!