Manchester United coach Ruben Amorim has revealed that he is impressed with the team’s performance despite the disappointing 2-0 defeat to Crystal Palace at Old Trafford on Sunday.
The Red Devils suffered their 11th defeat of the 2024-25 Premier League season to slip back to 13th on the log. It was also their fifth defeat in six home games at Old Trafford.
Amorim chose to drop both Rasmus Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee, opting to start Kobbie Mainoo as a false nine, a decision that backfired heavily as the hosts struggled for firepower.
Philippe Mateta scored a brace to hand Crystal Palace the maximum points and to also take them above Manchester United on the log.
He took advantage of a rebound from Maxence Lacroix’s header to slam home the opener in the 64th minute before tapping in the second in the 90th minute.
Lisandro Martinez was stretchered off in tears after suffering a knee injury following a clash with Ismaila Sarr to inflict more misery on Amorim and his team.
Manchester United have now failed to win two consecutive games in the Premier League under the Portuguese coach. It is also the first time in 130 years that United have lost seven of their opening 13 home games of a league season.
Amorim has revealed that he is happy to take some positives from the performance despite the defeat.
He said, “During the game, I felt that the team did some things well. We suffered two goals that we can avoid, which is really disappointing today. We take some things from the performance but not the result.
“It is a hard season at this moment; the players try different things to improve. We need to move forward. We had more possession and more connections; we created chances but we couldn’t score and that was the difference today.
“The result is really bad. The performance was a little bit better than the last games. We controlled the transitions quite well for Crystal Palace. We suffered two goals that we can avoid and the injury on Lisandro Martinez was tough for the team.”
Amorim urged the fans to remain positive even as he works to change things at the club.
He said, “It’s normal for the fans to feel negative; it is a hard season for them but football can change in certain moments. I will prepare for the next game and move forward. Better things will come.”
The Portuguese coach admitted that Martinez’s injury is serious, but he is waiting for the final diagnosis.
Amorim said, “We are going to see in the next few days but I think it is a serious situation. He is not only a great player but a strong character in the dressing room.”
“He felt it and when you are a player, you know when it is something serious. We are here to help him in this difficult moment like he has helped us.”
He also provided an update on the club’s activity in the transfer window, which is expected to close on Monday night.
Amorim concluded: “We are trying everything to improve the team without making the mistakes of the past.
“We will see. There is one more day. Let’s wait until the window is closed. We are trying our best to improve the team. This market is very hard on the clubs. To make some deals here is hard.
“We are trying everything, guys. I want so badly to improve the team. I know what the team needs.”
Up next for Manchester United is a clash against Leicester City in the FA Cup at Old Trafford on Friday.
