It was a second successive win for Palace in these parts and make no mistake, we can have no complaints. Star-man Zaha caused no end of problems, Andros Townsend and Jordan Ayew ran Victor Lindelof ragged and United again struggled against a side that pressed. Widely tipped for relegation following an awful post-restart run, Roy Hodgson’s side beat Southampton last week and their extra match fitness told as they not only outplayed us, but looked sharper, quicker and hungrier. His plea seems likely to fall on deaf ears though.įull credit to Crystal Palace, they came to Old Trafford and left fully deserving of the points. Jose Mourinho once played at Old Trafford without a striker when his Chelsea side were heavily linked with Wayne Rooney. It wouldn’t be the first time we’ve seen this from a manager. Solskjaer could have played Mason Greenwood but perhaps picked James to make a point that a right winger – Sancho or someone else – is the main priority. Number-one target Jadon Sancho is the apple of United’s eye and has held talks with Solskjaer but United are refusing to pay the money. Solskjaer’s team selection raised eyebrows with the inclusion of Timothy Fosu-Mensah and Daniel James but perhaps the selection of the latter was a plea to the hierarchy. Not many Reds covered themselves in glory but van de Beek can hold his head up. A somewhat strange debut, coming at an empty Old Trafford in a home defeat, but one DvdB will not forget. A very good debut for the young Dutchman, and an absolute steal at £35.7m. The goal will give him confidence and I can’t wait to see more of him. van de Beek looked neat and tidy on his bow, linking the play and getting forward well in his 23 minute cameo. Although the game slipped beyond reach, van de Beek provided the only bright spot with a well-taken goal to make it 1-2. United’s only summer signing began the game on the bench but was brought on with the side chasing a leveller. In light of United’s crushing defeat, here is what we learned from Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s domestic opener of the 2020-21 season.
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