Things went from bad to worse for Manchester United on Sunday afternoon as the Reds fell to a 2-0 defeat against Crystal Palace in the Premier League.
After a bright start, the home side regressed and predictably fell behind shortly after the hour-mark when Jean-Philippe Mateta reacted quickest to tap home from close range to give the visitors a priceless lead.
United failed to conjure up an equaliser and were hit with a sucker punch in the 89th minute when Mateta scored again to seal the win for Palace.
It was a sixth home defeat in the league for the hosts this season, an alarming statistic for all concerned.
Here are our five talking points from a disappointing day at Old Trafford.
United’s home form is not good enough
The loss to Palace was United’s fifth defeat at Old Trafford in the last six Premier League outings.
Put mildly, this is not good enough, and it will need to change if this side is to make any progress in the final four months of the season.
Old Trafford has been, and should always be, a difficult place to come to for visiting teams, but far too often this campaign, the opposite has been true.
Ruben Amorim and his team will have to do everything possible to turn this home form around fast.
Lisandro Martinez suffers serious-looking injury
Manchester United endured further agony in the second half when Lisandro Martinez immediately called for the medic after a tangle with Ismaila Sarr.
Worryingly, the Argentine defender seemed to twist his knee on the turf, and after lengthy on-field treatment, he was stretchered off and visibly distraught.
This will present a huge blow to Amorim, as Martinez has been in great form in recent weeks and is a huge component in how United play out from the back.
While there is likely no prognosis until Monday, it does not look good for the World Cup-winning centre-back as fears grow that his season could be over.
Everyone at the Theatre of Red hopes Licha has a full and speedy recovery.
Scoring issues continue for United
The lack of goals is a significant worry from a Manchester United perspective.
Despite trialling several combinations in forward areas, United have only scored six goals in their last five games.
With chances not being converted, it is always going to be difficult, and if you can’t score goals, you cannot expect to win many football matches.
This is the stark reality at the moment.
Mainoo trialled in a false nine
There were some eyebrows raised when Kobbie Mainoo lined out as the furthest player forward in United’s attack.
The English midfielder played in a false nine position against the side from South London, with strikers Rasmus Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee starting on the bench.
The 19-year-old did well to begin with – linking play nicely – and was unlucky not to score as he hit the post early in the contest.
However, as Palace settled into the game, the space Mainoo operated in became more condensed, and the Stockport native became isolated.
Despite a decent showing as an attacker, we are unlikely to see Mainoo in this role too often in future.
New blood is badly needed to freshen things up!
United confirmed that new boy Patrick Dorgu had completed his €30m move from Serie A side Lecce on Sunday morning,
This came on the back of the recent news that 20-year-old defender Ayden Heaven had also been acquired from Arsenal.
Both players were in attendance at Old Trafford on Sunday, and this should give the 20-time champions a boost in terms of having more options available, with an FA Cup tie against Leicester looming.
With Marcus Rashford going out on loan to Aston Villa, the Red Devils may be tempted to add one more player to their ranks before the 11 pm transfer deadline on Monday night.
Bayern Munich forward Mathys Tel has been linked with a move, and talks of a loan move to Manchester could yet come to fruition as Ruben Amorim looks to bolster his attacking options.
What are your thoughts on Manchester United’s awful defeat to Crystal Palace on Sunday?
Let us know in the comments or across our social channels.
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