Player Ratings: Manchester United 0-2 Crystal Palace

Manchester United fell to another Premier League defeat at home to Crystal Palace, being undone by a Jean-Philippe Mateta brace in the second-half, leaving United in 13th.

The headlines prior to the game were all about Ruben Amorim's shock decision to start Kobbie Mainoo up front ahead of Rasmus Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee, with the striking pair being left on the bench.

United started the game brightly, with Mainoo proving tough to handle for the Palace defenders, and the youngster was finding space, and he also hit the post early on. However, the Palace centre-backs adapted and shut him out of the game by the half-hour mark.

Palace grew into the game as the match wore on, but United seemed to come to life at the start of the second-half, looking to get a goal to reward their early dominance. However, Palace were very threatening on the counter on more than one occasion, troubling Andre Onana more than once.

Mateta eventually gave Palace the lead after a header from a set-piece bounced off the bar and into the path of the Palace forward, who tapped it past Onana. Mateta eventually made it 2-0 in the closing stages as United pushed for an equaliser, with Munoz squaring it to the forward for an easy tap-in.

The result means United are now 13th, with just 29 points from 24 Premier League games, continuing their atrocious domestic home record.

Here are our player ratings for today's defeat:

Andre Onana 5

Had a mixed game. Made a brilliant save from close range to deny Mateta at one point, yet the referee gave a goal-kick instead of a corner. While he made a number of decent saves, his decision to come out and claim the free-kick for the opener was questionable, as it left him in no man's land. Did not have a chance for the second goal.

Leny Yoro 5

Yoro seemed nervous on the ball on certain occasions, with some of his passes going astray. He was out-jumped for the first goal, and got very close to connecting to Amad's cross on one occasion.

Harry Maguire 5

He was solid defensively in the first-half, making a series of headers and important interceptions that denied Palace much space. Seemed leggy towards the end and played Munoz onside for the second goal.

Lisandro Martinez 6

United's best defender on the day, going into challenges and delivering some excellent balls into the Palace box. However, he had to be substituted after suffering what seems to be a serious knee injury in a scuffle with Ismaila Sarr. Had to be stretchered off the pitch.

Noussair Mazraoui 4

Made more runs forward than he usually does, however, they were to no effect. Did not look comfortable when on the attack and made a number of loose passes. Hooked off in the second-half. A poor game from the Moroccan.

Manuel Ugarte 6

Constantly battled to win the ball, and was largely successful in doing so. However, he did not offer much for the attack, and was substituted as United looked for an equaliser.

Bruno Fernandes 5

The captain repeatedly tried to make things happen, putting in plenty of crosses and through balls, yet nothing was coming off for him. Had a chance to shoot in the second-half, yet decided against doing so, before the opportunity was wasted.

Diogo Dalot 4

Went from the brilliance of popping up in the box to score in Europe, to having another difficult game in the league. Sloppy with his passes and did not offer anything on the attack. He will probably lose his place or be shifted back to the right once Patrick Dorgu gets in the team.

Amad Diallo 4

An underwhelming performance from the Ivorian, especially when considering he has been a bright spark in the attack under Amorim. He was well-marshalled by Tyrick Mitchell and struggled to make things happen for United. Frustrated throughout the match.

Alejandro Garnacho 5

He was a real threat in the first-half, getting the better of Munoz on more than one occasion. Sent an excellent ball into the six-yard box that was crying out for a touch, yet the lack of a forward meant that there was no United player in the space. His influence on the game faded as he started to tire in the second-half.

Kobbie Mainoo 6

Started in an unorthodox false nine role, and he was very effective in the opening 30 minutes, linking up very well with the rest of the team and picked up some good positions in between the Palace defenders. Unlucky to hit the post. However, he was completely marked out of the game afterwards, and United lacked a genuine goal threat. Substituted for United's actual strikers in the second-half.

Substitutions

Rasmus Hojlund 6

Amorim opting to start Mainoo was a big sign that he expected better from both Hojlund and Zirkzee. He came on in the 70th minute and put himself about well, running back to help stop a counter and also linked up well with the other forwards. Had a header go narrowly wide.

Joshua Zirkzee 5

Less effective than Hojlund when he came on, and cut a frustrated figure throughout the 20 minutes that he played. Unusually sloppy.

Matthijs de Ligt 5

Replaced Martinez in the latter stages, and was pretty solid. Needs to start regularly.

Christian Eriksen 5

Unlucky not to start after his excellent display in Bucharest in midweek. Arguably brought on too late to have an impact.

Manager - Ruben Amorim: 5

Made a brave decision and probably a call to the United board for a new striker with his choice to start Mainoo up front. While it worked at the start, it was clear that he needed to change things earlier than he did with his substitutions. Brought on Hojlund and Zirkzee probably 15 minutes too late, and arguably made too many changes from the team that played so well on Thursday.

It is clear that Amorim needs a new striker, but 29 points from 24 Premier League games is just not good enough for United. Improvements are badly needed, or United could genuinely end up in a relegation battle.