United Beyond Manchester

As new signings Patrick Dorgu and Ayden Heaven watched on, Manchester United put in a lackluster performance and lost 2-0. With the loss, Manchester United fell to 13th, one point behind Crystal Palace.

Match Flow

The front three of Kobbie Mainoo, Alejandro Garnacho, and Amad Diallo gave Manchester United’s attack a strong start. In the 6th minute, Mainoo nearly opened the scoring, but his shot deflected off of a Palace defender and struck the post. His opportunity came just after a chance for Alejandro Garnacho, whose shot was blocked inside the six-yard box.

Crystal Palace had a golden opportunity to take the lead moments after the United chance, but Daniel Munoz sent his free header off-target.

After a period of sustained pressure from United, the visitors created another big chance against the run of play. Tyrick Mitchell struck a ball across goal from inside the box on the left, and Ismaila Sarr flashed a header just past Andre Onana’s post. Had the ball made it to Jean-Philippe Mateta at the back post, Palace likely would have taken the lead.

Mateta got his opportunity in the 37th minute after a through ball from Jefferson Lerma sent the Palace striker in behind. However, his clipped effort bounced past the post, keeping the match goalless.

The two sides combined for seventeen shots in the first half, though only one, a long-range effort from Maxence Lacroix, was on target. United dominated possession with 66% and had six corners without truly threatening Dean Henderson’s goal.

A quick break started by Andre Onana led to a first shot on goal by Bruno Fernandes in the 50th minute. Amad Diallo found the captain at the top of the box, but Bruno’s shot was too close to Dean Henderson, who pushed the ball past his post and out for a corner kick.

Four minutes later, a half-volley from Manuel Ugarte was saved by the foot of Henderson following a free kick.

Crystal Palace opened the scoring in the 64th through Jean-Philippe Mateta. A free kick from substitute Eberechi Eze found Maxence Lacroix, whose header looped over Andre Onana and hit the crossbar. Mateta was the first to react to the rebound and passed the ball into the net for a Palace lead.

An awkward landing by Lisandro Martinez forced the Argentine defender to be stretchered off late in the second half. While he will need testing and an official diagnosis, the injury does not look good for a player who was in top form.

Mateta doubled the visitor’s lead with an easy finish in the 89th minute. Daniel Muñoz got in behind the United backline and squared the ball to the French striker, who easily beat Onana and earned the Eagles all three points.

Analysis

The Kobbie Mainoo false nine experiment yielded a few chances but ultimately did not see Manchester United find the net. Ruben Amorim is clearly at a loss as to how to fix the scoring woes of his attackers. In the loss to Brighton, the one United goal came from a Bruno Fernandes spot-kick, and Lisandro Martinez won the match for the Reds against Fulham. The only possible answer may be the transfer window, which United won’t be able to use again until the summer due to finances.

Lisandro Martinez’s injury looks serious, and Ruben Amorim called it ‘a bad situation’ after the match. That leaves 18-year-old new signing Ayden Heaven as the lone left-footed center-back in the Amorim’s team. While Heaven was brought in to be a first-team player, he was never expected to play a majority of the minutes, especially considering his inexperience. Now, the manager will have to decide whether he consistently needs a left-footed defender at the position or if players like Leny Yoro and Victor Lindelof would provide better options. Luke Shaw is another option, though his injury issues leave him unreliable.

Next Match

Manchester United hosts Ruud Van Nistelrooy’s Leicester City in the FA Cup on Friday for a chance to advance to the Fifth Round and be in the final sixteen teams.