Given that they easily defeated the same team 3-0 in midweek, Manchester United’s dismal 1-0 loss to Crystal Palace is all the more unexpected given their ongoing Jekyll and Hyde campaign.
So far this season, Erik ten Hag has overseen four losses in just seven Premier League games. If he doesn’t turn things around quickly, their hopes of winning the championship may be dashed before Halloween.
Against Crystal Palace, how did Manchester United fare?
United won the game in the middle of the week by scoring three goals in the first fifty-five minutes, but they were unable to replicate their merciless play this afternoon. While holding the ball for 77% of the game, the Red Devils were obviously unable to take any chances. In fact, they only managed four shots on goal and squandered two excellent opportunities, which added to the loss.
Rasmus Hojlund was given free reign by Ten Hag to score goals with his playing group, but the youthful striker was unable to lead the Old Trafford team to victory.
What was Rasmus Hojlund’s performance against Crystal Palace?
In an attempt to launch his United career, the manager gave the Dane the chance to lead the line. Hojlund played the entire ninety minutes, although he only received 25 touches overall. This is 12 fewer touches than Andre Onana, who received 37 touches throughout the game, demonstrating how little impact he had.
Hojlund Rasmus for Manchester United
The striker’s inability to complete 13 passes, make a single crucial pass, and lose possession five times during his infrequent touches with the ball is another proof of his poor ball handling skills.
Despite having three shots overall and making 100% of his dribble efforts, Hojlund may have lost confidence as a result of not scoring, which also let Ten Hag down.
Since coming to Manchester, the former Atalanta attacker hasn’t quite found his feet. He’s only played six games and scored one goal, which came against Bayern Munich in the Champions League during their 4-3 loss.
With two shots on goal and a perfect record in aerial duels throughout the game, Ten Hag’s performance offered United fans a taste of exactly what they can expect from him moving ahead. His prowess in the air was evident as he earned a Sofascore rating of 7.2 for his performance.
It was a fantastic debut for the young Dane in Europe’s top league, demonstrating without a doubt that he will be a huge success at United if given the opportunity to catch up.
However, if he wants to assist the Red Devils overcome their current slump, today’s performance was subpar overall and should be forgotten about sooner rather than later. Ten Hag will need to rely on Hojlund to add to his goal total given his busy schedule in the upcoming weeks if he hopes to lead the team to further success this season.
