Manchester United suffered their second consecutive home defeat in the Premier League on Saturday, this time to Crystal Palace via a stunning effort from Joachim Andersen.
It always seems to be one step forward and two steps back for United this season and the pressure will be mounting on manager Erik ten Hag.
The Dutchman is having to deal with multiple injuries at the back but that is not where the problems lie currently. United have scored only seven times in the current campaign, the lowest in the top ten.
United’s limp attack
Despite 78 percent possession, the hosts managed only four shots on target and it is clear to see that the frontline is struggling.
The team hardly showed any urgency and after easily dispatching the same team in the Carabao Cup, the home side seemed to be quite happy to keep the ball instead of showing impetus.
Facundo Pellistri was poor once again, and every time he has started, he worked quite hard but looked very raw and physically not yet ready for this level.
The same goes for Rasmus Hojlund. He is a better target man than Anthony Martial but it is still not enough. How the manager must be wishing he had at least one more striker.
But the biggest disappointment has been the form of Marcus Rashford. The England winger’s decision-making has been poor and he continues to frustrate.
Rashford poor vs Palace
After a stunning season last time around, the Mancunian seems to have reverted to type and the manager might be forced to look at Alejandro Garnacho on the left moving forward.
Ten Hag hardly has attacking options on the bench and Antony’s return cannot come soon enough as the right wing has been a major issue since his absence.
It is turning into a full-blown crisis at the club and Ten Hag will be questioned for delaying his attacking substitutions for too long.
The team looks short on confidence and with a Champions League game to come next, things are looking quite dicey for the manager.