SOLSKJAER CAN HORROR AS
OH for those blissful, carefree summer nights in Reykjavik and Mykonos. For Mason Greenwood and Harry Maguire, the return to Old Trafford’s comforting bosom after their recent travails brought no respite.
True, the trouble was only of the football variety rather than anything more serious but trouble it was nonetheless as Manchester United belatedly opened their Premier League season with a home defeat to Crystal Palace.
For Greenwood, in particular, it was a frustrating evening as he wasted a golden headed chance but it was hardly a barrel of laughs for Maguire either, booked for a trip on the outstanding Wilfried Zaha and at the heart of a dysfunctional United defence.
Having retained the club captaincy despite his recent high-profile troubles in Greece, leaking three goals to Palace was a grim start to the new campaign.
In freefall at the end of last season, Roy Hodgson’s rope-adope specialists celebrated a second win at Old Trafford in a row. Fair play to them, they deserved it.
There was an element of injustice about Zaha’s twice-taken penalty – if David De Gea was fractionally off his line for the Jordan Ayew spot-kick which was ordered to be retaken the initial award for handball against Victor Lindelof was harsh. But United invited the fates to play their hand with a disjointed, error-ridden performance.
The extra week United were given off by the Premier League after their Europa League exertions last season should have brought energy but instead Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side were strangely sluggish.
It was Palace who created the better chances and who looked the more compact and organised as they made it two wins out of two this season.
If there is one side that it is unwise to concede an early lead to it is Hodgson’s mob, who are set up to hold what they have. But United did just that.
Jeffrey Schlupp was allowed to stroll down the left by Lindelof and his cross bypassed both Maguire and Luke Shaw before Andros Townsend buried it at the far post.