Man Utd player ratings vs Crystal Palace: What were you thinking, Ruben Amorim?! Kobbie Mainoo striker experiment backfires badly as Red Devils succumb to ANOTHER set-piece goal and lose Lisandro Martinez to concerning injury

The England international hit the post but then faded in the unorthodox role, and the hosts had no response once they fell behind

Just when Manchester United thought they were out of the quagmire, they pulled themselves back in with another insipid home Premier League defeat, this time at the hands of Crystal Palace. Ruben Amorim's side had the chance to record back-to-back league wins for the first time this season, but instead slid to a 2-0 defeat, punished by two second-half goals from Jean-Philippe Mateta. It was their seventh loss at home in the league this season, their joint-worst record in Premier League history.

United were on a run of three consecutive victories and, fresh from the success of playing Kobbie Mainoo in a No.10 role against FCSB, Amorim went one step further and fielded the England international up front, benching both Rasmus Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee. Mainoo made an impressive start as he created a chance for Alejandro Garnacho and hit the post after a driving run from Amad Diallo, but that was about as bright as United got in a dull first half, failing to score in the first half for the 10th time in 11 matches in all competitions.

They were open at the back, meanwhile, and offered Palace three clear chances before the break: Daniel Munoz ghosted in behind a sleepy Diogo Dalot and headed over the bar; Ismaila Saar flicked a header just wide and then Mateta was denied by a fingertip save from Andre Onana.

Mateta eventually gave Palace the lead in the second half, tapping in on the rebound after Maxence Lacroix had headed a free-kick against the bar. Things got worse for United when Lisandro Martinez was carried off on a stretcher before Mateta rubbed salt into their wounds by pouncing again in the 89th minute.

GOAL rates the United players from Old Trafford...

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Goalkeeper & Defence
Andre Onana (6/10):
Did well to save from Mateta before the break and unlucky with the opening goal as he was left stranded on the floor after Lacroix had hit the bar and powerless to stop Mateta tapping in the rebound.
Leny Yoro (5/10):
Suffered on a few occasions, giving a tough time by Mateta and Sarr.
Harry Maguire (6/10):
Dominant in the first half but looked more nervous in the second. Nearly gifted Palace a goal when his clearance bounced off an opponent and just wide while he was left flat-footed on the rebound for Mateta's opener.
Lisandro Martinez (6/10):
In an adventurous mood and caused some problems for Palace before his horrific, potentially season-ending injury.

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Midfield
Noussair Mazraoui (5/10):
Reverted to wing-back after joining the back three versus FCSB and was uninspiring.
Manuel Ugarte (5/10):
Feisty as usual in the tackle, but his poor passing is becoming a real concern.
Bruno Fernandes (5/10):
Couldn't get much going from the deeper role.
Diogo Dalot (4/10):
A frustrating performance. Had a good understanding with Garnacho but lacked concentration defensively when he was beaten in air by Munoz and gave ball away in two key moments.
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Attack
Amad Diallo (6/10):
As usual, the player who looked most dangerous and most involved, but Palace knew how to handle him.
Kobbie Mainoo (5/10):
A bright start fizzled out and, after creating two big moments in opening 10 minutes, he couldn't pose more problems.
Alejandro Garnacho (5/10):
Offered pace and flair down the left but lacked the final ball and got little support.

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Subs & Manager
Joshua Zirkzee (4/10):
Couldn't bring any danger and gave the ball away leading to Palace's move for the second goal.
Rasmus Hojlund (4/10):
Made no impact.
Christian Eriksen (5/10):
Brought a tiny bit more cohesion to the midfield.
Matthijs de Ligt (N/A):
Replaced Martinez.
Ruben Amorim (4/10):
Should have made changes far sooner than he did, although they had little effect. He cannot hide from the fact he has lost five of his last six home games in the league.

Goalkeeper & Defence

Midfield

Attack

Subs & Manager