here have been some dismal days at Manchester United in the post-Sir Alex Ferguson years, and the old boy has been there to see it all, although he may have thought arriving at a near-empty Old Trafford for season 2020-2021 that the worst was behind him.
Instead, from behind his black mask and as isolated as the home team’s defence found itself at times, Ferguson witnessed another grim performance that means his club starts the season on the back foot. They were not simply beaten by Crystal Palace in this, United’s opening fixture of the season, but outplayed by Roy Hodgson’s side who routinely broke United down in midfield and counter-attacked beautifully.
It was a sensational performance from Palace, who have now won their opening two fixtures, and two seasons in a row in the league at Old Trafford. Like all more impecunious, smaller clubs who get a result at the bigger boys this did require the decisions to go their way which the Video Assistant Referee, Jonathan Moss, ensured, although when the wailing and complaining was done, Palace deserved this win.
In the stands, Ed Woodward, the executive vice-chairman, still yet to deliver on United’s 2020 summer transfer strategy, may have looked at the seats covered with screenshots of fans’ faces and gave thanks that they were not there in person. The shifting waves of blame and recrimination currently focus anew on the club’s boardroom with an under-conditioned line-up that felt tired and inadequate.
The star of the show was Wilfried Zaha, captaining Palace for the first time, back at the club where he once failed to shine and scoring two goals. So too, Andros Townsend who scored the first and, with Zaha, transformed United’s wayward passing into lightening counte-rattacks. Jeffrey Schlupp, who once had a brief trial at United, was another fine performer and even Jordan Ayew, who missed a penalty later retaken, interpreted the game-plan perfectly.
The complaints for United centred on the first of Zaha’s two goals, a second-half retaken penalty that the Var Moss identified long after the play had moved on as a handball by Victor Lindelof. The defender, who had a dreadful afternoon, had his hand in an unnatural position when the ball struck and referee Martin Atkinson, having reviewed the incident, gave the penalty retrospectively. In July it was Palace who bemoaned Var when United came to Selhurst Park but this one went their way.
Solskjaer said the penalty Ayew won this time should not have been given, but he conceded that what followed when David De Gea saved the striker’s spot-kick was correctly interpreted. The United goalkeeper had “both heels an inch off the line” his manager observed. Zaha took over from there and put United two goals behind, never to recover.
Afterwards, Solskjaer bemoaned the lack of a pre-season, having finished 2019-2020 just one month earlier. “We have worked hard with the ones we have had [back in training] but speaking to Roy he said that they had four friendlies and that this is their third competitive game of the season,” Solskjaer said. United had played just one friendly against Aston Villa and, he said, they must “make the most of the time we have, now we are already playing catch-up.”
There were no excuses for the performance. It was, Solskjaer said, one “you don’t see too often from these players”. “I am very, very disappointed but sometimes you cannot be too surprised when we are not at our best because this is the first game we have played since the middle of August after a very strange pre-season. I was hoping for something better today but it wasn’t to be. They [Palace] deserved it.”
Hard to know where to start with the faults in this United performance, from the appalling lack of care in possession in midfield, to the limp defending of Palace’s surging counter-attacks. Daniel James, a strange choice on the right wing, came off at half-time. Paul Pogba was replaced in the second half by Donny van de Beek who scored United’s goal, from a fortunate ricochet off Mamadou Sakho, on the Dutchman’s debut.
There were 33 points between United and the champions Liverpool at the summit of the Premier League last season, and at best they might hope to close that gap. It is an enormous task and this was such an insipid start. It is early days of course, but on Tuesday they go to Kenilworth Road to face Luton Town in the Carabao Cup and then to Brighton next weekend with the pressure already building. “We all have to look ourselves in the mirror,” Solskjaer observed later.
Hodgson said that his players had responded to the plan, with Zaha leading the way. “It’s all about effectiveness and I thought our defence was good, and we took a lot of comfort in the shape. It enabled us to win the ball back and stop them from getting into positions.”
Townsend scored after seven minutes from a move that Palace worked well down the left wing, without ever having a challenge of note, 21-year-old left-back Tyrick Mitchell finding Schlupp, who was past Lindelof without too much of a struggle. His ball to the back post was a harder opportunity that Townsend’s finish made it look.
Solskjaer had not picked Aaron Wan-Bissaka at right-back, presumably because the former Palace man is not yet match fit after his holiday quarantine. Tim Fosu-Mensah, who started against Palace in the league game between the two sides in July, played in his place. James struggled on the right side and there were two errors from De Gea in the first half.
Mason Greenwood came on at half-time for James and missed with a header but notably it was Palace who created the better chances. Zaha’s penalty, retaken after De Gea saved from Ayew, put them two up. De Beek’s goal offered some hope for his side before Zaha finished off United’s defence for his second goal. He pushed aside Lindelof and evaded Harry Maguire’s weak challenge before striking a shot past De Gea, the Palace winger’s shriek of delight echoing around the empty Old Trafford.
Discussion about this post