Man Utd continue to lose at Old Trafford

"Truly a theater of nightmares," British newspaperDaily Mailpost-match commentary, changing the nickname "Theatre of Dreams" of Old Trafford. In the last 6 Premier League matches at this stadium, Man Utd lost 5 matches, winning only 1 against the bottom team Southampton.

To make matters worse, since last season only Wolverhampton have lost more home games than Man Utd's 13 at Old Trafford. The Red Devils also lost centre-back Lisandro Martinez to a knee ligament injury that looked serious in the second half.

The main events of the match also took place after the break. Striker Jean-Philippe Mateta scored a brace to easily bring three points to Crystal Palace, pushing Man Utd down to 13th place after round 24. Mateta was the only striker to start this match, because the home team used Kobbie Mainoo as a false striker, leaving Rasmus Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee on the bench.

Man Utd were superior in two important indicators: finishing (18 vs. 11) and ball possession (67% vs. 33%), but the most dangerous opportunities belonged to the away team. According to statisticsFootball, Crystal Palace created four big chances, while the home team only had one good situation.

The visitors made the most of half of those chances. In the 64th minute, midfielder Eberechi Eze took a free kick, hanging the ball down the left side of the penalty area for centre-back Maxence Lacroix to head the ball into the far corner, hitting the crossbar and bouncing off. Mateta quickly swooped in to score the opener, while 19-year-old centre-back Leny Yoro complained that he had been pushed back by Lacroix.

Man Utd increased the tempo after falling behind, but failed to create any notable situations. On the contrary, they were counter-attacked and conceded a second goal in the 89th minute. Midfielder Daniel Munoz broke down the right side of the penalty area, broke the offside trap, and crossed for Mateta to tap in from close range to seal the score in front of a nearly empty goal.

The Old Trafford crowd was stunned by Mateta's second goal, as Man Utd showed no signs of scoring. Their best three-game winning streak since the start of the season was halted, bringing Ruben Amorim's men back to earth. But the "Red Devils" hope to regain their winning streak in the next match against Leicester City, also at Old Trafford, in the fourth round of the FA Cup on the evening of February 7.