Manchester United succumbed to their first defeat of the 2019-20 Premier League season, when they were beaten by a resolute Crystal Palace side 2-1 at Old Trafford.
The Red Devils could not break down a stubborn Palace side that exploited United’s weaknesses and won the match in injury time, thanks to a goal from Patrick van Aanholt.
This was also Palace’s first win of the season and their first-ever win against Manchester United in the Premier League.
Let’s take a look at 3 things we learned from Manchester United’s loss against Crystal Palace:
Wilfried Zaha-like player needed at Old Trafford
Crystal Palace winger Wilfried Zaha returned to his former club to show them exactly what he was capable of, and put the put them to the sword with his dribbling and pace.
Zaha, who left United in 2014 and moved back to Palace, has revived his career at Selhurst Park and showed the Red Devils that he is the kind of player that Manchester United need.
The Ivory Coast international’s direct running and pace caused United all sorts of problems, and manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer would have wished to have a player like Zaha playing in his side against Palace.
United showed on Saturday that, despite having a majority of possession, they did not have the quality to break open the Palace defence. Although Daniel James has done well since his move from Championship side Swansea City, he is not good enough yet to have a major influence on the United side.
Solskjaer needs a pacey dribbler who can get through defences and cause havoc in the opposition half.
Manchester United’s defensive frailties still exist
Manchester United fans – and perhaps even their manager – may have felt that their defensive lapses, that have cost them dearly over the last few seasons, would have been solved with the signing of Harry Maguire and Aaron Wan-Bissaka, but they were given a rude awakening by Palace on Saturday.
Maguire was partly at fault for the first goal as his positioning wasn’t the best, while the second goal scored in the dying minutes of the game, was another lapse in United’s defence as Zaha was not contained and then van Aanholt was left free in the box and de Gea letting it through him.
United’s defensive shape and structure has to improve, otherwise, the team will be in the same situation that they were in last season.
Weak central midfield could push United out of top 6
It’s shocking that a team aspiring to finish in the top 4 did not sign replacements for two midfielders that departed the club in the last year. Solskjaer and the Manchester United board made a grave mistake by not signing a replacement for Ander Herrera and Marouane Fellaini, which has come back to haunt them.
The likes of Scott McTominay and Andreas Pereira are talented young players but they are not ready to bear the burden and the pressure of being United’s midfielders, at the moment.
Paul Pogba is the only quality midfielder in the United squad, and his game, too, has been hampered by the lack of quality beside him at Manchester United.
The likes of Everton, Wolves, and Leicester City will be buoyed by United’s performances this season, and they could take the Red Devils’ sixth-place spot in the league table at the end of the season.
