Manchester United vs Crystal Palace: 5 Men who were poor for the Red Devils | Premier League 2019/20
Manchester United welcomed Crystal Palace to Old Trafford on Saturday in their third game of the new season. After a resounding 4-0 win over Chelsea at home in the opening weekend, the Red Devils could only manage a 1-1 draw away at the Molineux. With United back at Old Trafford, the game represented a chance to bounce back to winning ways. For the players though, there was some extra motivation.
Paul Pogba's failure to convert a penalty had caused quite a stir. The Frenchman was subject to racial abuse online but was backed by both the club and his colleagues, who protected him as a family. As such, it was time for the team to show that unity on the field.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was pretty impressed by United's second-half performance against Wolves and the Norwegian decided to go with the same team against Crystal Palace. He started with David De Gea, Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Victor Lindelof, Harry Maguire, and Luke Shaw continuing as the back four. In the midfield, Scott McTominay was stationed alongside Paul Pogba, while Jesse Lingard was chosen as the no. 10. The front three consisted of Daniel James, Anthony Martial, and Marcus Rashford.
United were in control in the first half, but it was Crystal Palace who took the lead in the 32nd minute through Jordan Ayew. United rallied but failed to score in the first half. After the break, Palace held on and United even failed to convert a penalty. However, the home side equalized through Daniel James in the 89th minute. Crystal Palace then went ahead in the 93rd minute through Patrick van Aanholt and ultimately won the game.
While the entire team failed to impress, these 5 men were very poor for United at Old Trafford and cost the Red Devils the game.
#5 David De Gea
It is hard to put David De Gea in this list, especially since there were quite a few other players who had been poor on the pitch. However, the Spaniard made an uncharacteristic mistake in the game that ultimately cost United a point.
However, after scoring a late equalizer, United pushed on for the winner and were eventually caught out at the back. After Wan-Bissaka had stopped Wilfried Zaha’s attempt, the ball fell to Patrick van Aanholt, whose shot crept in under David De Gea. The Spaniard should not have been beaten at the front post and it cost United their the game.