Manchester United suffered their fourth Premier League defeat of the season when Joachim Anderson’s early goal secured a 1-0 victory for Crystal Palace at Old Trafford on Saturday.
Having previously suffered a home league defeat against Brighton, the lackluster hosts found themselves trailing once again in the 25th minute as Anderson skillfully placed the ball into the top corner of the net.
Despite having ample time to find an equalizer on their home ground, Manchester United struggled to create clear-cut chances in the rainy Manchester weather. Palace goalkeeper Sam Johnstone had a relatively quiet afternoon.
In the second half, Mason Mount missed Manchester United’s most promising opportunity, and Palace held on to claim the victory, which propelled them to ninth place in the league standings, one position ahead of the 20-time top-flight champions.
With just nine points and a goal difference of -4, this marks Manchester United’s worst-ever start to a Premier League season after seven games. Their last worse start to a top-flight campaign was in the 1989-90 season.
Two weeks prior, United had suffered a significant defeat to Brighton, ending their 31-game unbeaten streak at Old Trafford in all competitions.
Before Palace’s visit, Erik ten Hag’s team had not lost consecutive home games since falling to Liverpool and Manchester City in October and November 2021.
The early moments of the match looked promising for the home side, with Rasmus Hojlund, a high-profile summer signing, coming close to opening the scoring, only to have his effort cleared off the line.
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However, Anderson’s unexpected strike into the top corner, following a free kick where he was left unmarked, left the home supporters with a sense of disappointment.
During the first half, Manchester United struggled to create significant scoring opportunities, but they emerged with renewed determination after halftime, with Johnstone immediately forced into making two excellent saves.
Despite a few frantic goalmouth scrambles as desperation set in, Palace remained relatively untroubled, and Old Trafford echoed with boos when the final whistle blew.
