Manchester United's struggles to break down Crystal Palace continued as the visitors took a well-deserved 1-0 lead at Old Trafford through Jean-Philippe Mateta's penalty. However, what seemed like an easy goal was not as straightforward as it appeared. After Mateta slotted home from the spot, replays showed that he had kicked the ball into his standing foot with the laces of his boot, rendering the goal invalid.
Palace eventually got their just desserts when Mateta redeemed himself by scoring a second goal after a VAR review. The Senegalese forward had slipped past the United defense and was set up by Wilfried Zaha, before beating the substitute goalkeeper Lammens with a powerful shot from close range.
The Palace attack caused problems for Manchester United's defenders throughout the first half, but it wasn't until Mateta's penalty that they found the back of the net. Prior to that, Casemiro and Bruno Fernandes both had clear-cut chances, but they were denied by goalkeeper Dean Henderson.
One player who didn't make an impact on the game was Marcus Rashford, who made his first start since returning from a back injury. He struggled to find space in the Palace defense, and was often forced to retreat deep in search of support.
Manchester United's struggles have led to speculation about manager Erik ten Hag's tactics and team selection. The Dutchman has had to make several changes due to injuries and suspensions, but it appears that his approach is not yielding the desired results.
For Crystal Palace, this victory marks a significant scalp in their bid for European qualification. They will now be looking to build on this success against their remaining fixtures, while Manchester United are still searching for a way out of their slump.
Palace eventually got their just desserts when Mateta redeemed himself by scoring a second goal after a VAR review. The Senegalese forward had slipped past the United defense and was set up by Wilfried Zaha, before beating the substitute goalkeeper Lammens with a powerful shot from close range.
The Palace attack caused problems for Manchester United's defenders throughout the first half, but it wasn't until Mateta's penalty that they found the back of the net. Prior to that, Casemiro and Bruno Fernandes both had clear-cut chances, but they were denied by goalkeeper Dean Henderson.
One player who didn't make an impact on the game was Marcus Rashford, who made his first start since returning from a back injury. He struggled to find space in the Palace defense, and was often forced to retreat deep in search of support.
Manchester United's struggles have led to speculation about manager Erik ten Hag's tactics and team selection. The Dutchman has had to make several changes due to injuries and suspensions, but it appears that his approach is not yielding the desired results.
For Crystal Palace, this victory marks a significant scalp in their bid for European qualification. They will now be looking to build on this success against their remaining fixtures, while Manchester United are still searching for a way out of their slump.
! I mean, who needs goals scored in a legit way when you can have a penalty kick that doesn't count? 
Mateta should've gotten a free pass to score... err, I mean, had his goal nullified. But seriously, Palace needed this win and they got it 
! Manchester United's struggles aren't surprising though - Erik ten Hag's tactics just aren't clicking 
. Rashford's return from injury didn't go as planned either 
. This season's got me scratching my head 
!
and rashford didnt impress at all he seemed lost on the pitch 
ten hag gotta rethink his team selection or tactics or something 
. palace, on the other hand, played some clever footy, zaha's vision & delivery were spot on 
. i reckon they deserve this win more than man utd, who've been lookin like a team stuck in neutral 
️...
Man U's struggles are like my aunt trying to cook dinner - it just doesn't seem to work out 
, can't even get any space on the pitch 
. rashford didn't even make an impact coming back from his injury, that's a red flag for me 
. and casemiro and fernandes, guys who are supposed to be the leaders of this team, can't even get a goal to save their lives 
. palace on the other hand is looking like a dark horse for european qualification, gotta give them credit for that 
. VAR needs to step up its game though, mateta's penalty was just dodgy 
. I mean, come on, Mateta kicks the ball with his own foot and it's not valid? And then they review it again and he scores another goal?! It's like they're playing a different game out there than we are 
. Ten Hag needs to shake things up or they'll be stuck in this slump forever 
.
casemiro & fernandes should've been scoring goals not getting saved by dean henderson 
they're like 0-1 down and it's not even close! but you know what's crazy? the replays showing that Mateta kicked the ball with his own foot 
1-0 down at home is not what you want.