Crystal Palace stun Manchester United as Mateta’s brace sinks hosts

Manchester United endured another dismal home outing, suffering a 2-0 defeat to Crystal Palace, their fifth loss in six Premier League matches at Old Trafford. Jean-Philippe Mateta’s second-half brace secured Palace’s fourth win in six seasons at the iconic venue.

With Marcus Rashford on the verge of a loan move to Aston Villa, United head coach Ruben Amorim made a surprising tactical choice, deploying Kobbie Mainoo as a false nine, leaving £100m-rated forwards Rasmus Højlund and Joshua Zirkzee on the bench. Despite an energetic start, the unconventional setup failed to deliver, allowing Palace to grow into the game.

Substitute Eberechi Eze, expected to miss the match due to a foot injury, made an instant impact in the 64th minute. His precise free-kick caused chaos in the United box, leading to Maxence Lacroix’s header hitting the bar before Mateta pounced to score past a scrambling Andre Onana.

Mateta doubled his tally in the final minute, converting Daniel Muñoz’s low cross to bring his Premier League total to 10 for the season.

United’s woes were compounded as Lisandro Martinez left the pitch in tears on a stretcher after sustaining a serious knee injury during a clash with Ismaila Sarr.

Palace celebrated their third consecutive Premier League away win, their first such streak since 2019, and solidified their position as one of the league’s top-performing away teams with 16 points on the road since December.

For United, the defeat marked another setback, leaving them in 13th place and still without back-to-back league victories under Amorim.