Manchester United began their season in negative fashion after a deserved 3-1 defeat at Old Trafford to Crystal Palace, courtesy of goals from Andros Townsend, two from Wilfried Zaha and a debut finish from Donny Van de Beek.
The first half saw United start like a team who hadn’t caught up with the pace of The Premier League, looking lethargic, giving away possession constantly. Palace came with all guns blazing right from the first whistle and their plan to press United’s backline worked. In the 7th minute, Andros Townsend snuck in at the back post to finish brilliantly past David de Gea, who looked towards his defenders in despair.
The initial fifteen minutes exposed United’s need to acquire a fast centre-back to facilitate Harry Maguire, Victor Lindelöf looking uncomfortable in the air and against the pace of Wilfried Zaha. Neither the Swede nor left-back, Luke Shaw, could cope with the speed of Palace’s front three, leading to the first goal being conceded from plain and simple ‘ball-watching’.
A lack of urgency from the midfield to control the game also contributed to United’s poor start, highlighted in their first shot on target coming in the 20th minute from Paul Pogba.
Solskjær’s issue with the right-hand side of his formation was also visible. The first 30 minutes clearly stressed the importance of Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Mason Greenwood in offering something different going forward. Daniel James looked fearful when up against Palace’s defence, refusing to go down the line and constantly cutting back the ball to pass into midfield. The immediate change of Greenwood for James in the second half provided authenticity for this.
Most importantly, Solskjær will be worried about the depth in these positions, should Greenwood get injured in the midst of the season. A certain individual named Jadon Sancho will most likely be echoed once more after today’s result.
United should’ve realised the dangers of Palace from the first half, but the warnings were beginning to crop up after Townsend had the first real effort in the second half, blazing over the bar with his shot.
Timothy Fosu-Mensah consistently had the same problem as James in the game, seeming somewhat timid in his approach to take on other players when bombing forward, ensuring it was easy for Palace’s stubborn defence to read the next passage of play. The only occasions where he offered a dominant, attacking threat was when he had free space to think about his next move.
United’s best opportunity to level the match came in the 59th minute, when Fosu-Mensah found himself in space to produce a delicious ball into the box for Mason Greenwood, who consequently headed wide.
The most controversial moment of the match was produced when the time struck 70, Martin Atkinson awarding Palace a penalty after the ball unconvincingly struck the arm of Victor Lindelof. However, the drama didn’t stop there. After saving the initial shot from Jordan Ayew, the referee instructed Palace to take the spot kick again, David de Gea portrayed to be ‘off his line’ despite only being millimetres over his point. Wilfried Zaha powered home the second to give the South London club a 2-0 lead.
Nine minutes later saw Donny van de Beek calmly slot the ball past Vicente Guaita for an important debut goal, putting United back in the game. The Dutchman was brought on with 25 minutes to go and found himself in the box, proving to be a handful for Roy Hodgson’s defence. Minutes later though, the game was wrapped up by Zaha after dispossessing Lindelöf in a 50/50 battle, leading to a low driven shot past the helpless De Gea in goal.
Alarmingly, the result and performance was not up to the standards required. Solskjaer and supporters will now have questions for the Manchester United board, who seem unprepared and unorganised regarding transfer market activity. If the club came out of this performance with a win, focus would be on the team’s display.
However, throughout major periods, United’s defence was exposed and the lack of depth on the right will worry The Norwegian going into the remainder of the season. Fans will be demanding answers, and they are right to do so. Whether the club now decide to splash the cash on areas that need improvement, remains to be seen.
Fitness levels will also worry Solskjær and his staff. Time and time again, United looked sluggish on the ball and failed to control the tempo of the match through midfield. Whilst the schedule of matches hasn’t helped the club, one could argue this is a poor excuse and energy levels should be better.
What’s clear is that the next week will be a crucial period for the club, testing how ambitious the owner’s are. It is expected that Manchester United back their man and begin to make more signings of essential quality. If they don’t, then it could be a season which once again provides evidence to suggest that those at the top are satisfied with a simple Champions League spot.
Author
