Evening Standard
·2 Februari 2025
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·2 Februari 2025
The Red Devils conceded twice in the second half
Manchester United lost 2-0 to Crystal Palace in a bitter defeat at Old Trafford.
Jean-Philippe Mateta scored twice in the second half to condemn the Red Devils to defeat following another poor performance on home soil.
Manager Ruben Amorim had made the interesting decision to start without a striker, as he left Joshua Zirkzee and Rasmus Hojlund on the bench.
Dom Smith was at Old Trafford to rate the Manchester United players’ performances…
Andre Onana 4
Got a touch on Jean-Philippe Mateta’s dinked effort, but then conceded twice to the Frenchman.
Harry Maguire 4
Really poor tackle on Mateta got him booked shortly after half-time.
Leny Yoro 5
Defended well for the most part but could not prevent Mateta from scoring the winner.
Lisandro Martinez 6
Played some really incisive short passes into midfield and picked Amad Diallo out with one exceptional long pass. Came off with a serious-looking injury.
Noussair Mazraoui 5
Full of running, particularly on the counter-attack. His defending was mostly solid.
Manuel Ugarte 5
One of the Uruguayan’s better performances in a United shirt. Won the ball on plenty of occasions and played teammates in swiftly. Booked.
Bruno Fernandes 4
The captain was ineffective for much of the afternoon. Strolling into traffic. Had one decent shot which Dean Henderson parried.
Struggle: Bruno Fernandes was not at his best against Crystal Palace.
AFP via Getty Images
Digoo Dalot 4
Energetic performance, but caught out at the back post when he didn’t see Daniel Munoz tearing into the box. The Colombian won the header, with Dalot nowhere near it.
Amad Diallo 5
The Ivorian’s corner deliveries were too easy to deal with. Wasteful finishing, too.
Kobbie Mainoo 5
Started as a False 9, with Rasmus Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee kept on the bench. Struck the post early on but faded, like many of his teammates.
Alejandro Garnacho 5
Came close with a blocked shot in the opening five minutes. Quite exposed out on the left for much of the contest.
Subs:
Rasmus Hojlund (Mainoo, 70’) 4
A very limited impact from the Dane.
Joshua Zirkzee (Mazraoui, 70’) 4
Did very little, misplacing a few passes.
Matthijs de Ligt (Martinez, 82’) N/A
Christian Eriksen (Ugarte, 88’) N/A
Not used: Bayindir, Harrison, Lindelof, Casemiro, Collyer