Manchester United fans noticed what they perceived to be a worrying moment in the late stages against Crystal Palace on Sunday afternoon.
Manchester United started brightly in a tough away clash, but Crystal Palace gradually grew into the contest and began putting pressure on Senne Lammens’ goal.
Clear chances were rare as the first half unfolded, yet Leny Yoro handed the hosts a perfect chance to take the lead with a careless challenge in the area. Jean-Philippe Mateta converted the resulting penalty, after VAR had chalked off his initial effort for a double contact.
United looked much improved after the break, and Joshua Zirkzee levelled things up with an excellent finish from a tight angle.
Shortly after, Mason Mount slotted home from a rehearsed set-piece routine to complete the comeback. The Reds then saw out the remainder of the match to secure the victory.
United fans noticed worrying moment in 90th minute vs Palace
Ruben Amorim decided to use four substitutes during the win over Palace but two of them were left until the 90th minute of the game.
Kobbie Mainoo and Patrick Dorgu were introduced in the final minutes of the clash, with their introductions partly made to waste some time as the final whistle approached.
Some fans noticed Mainoo’s reaction as he came on, with the 20-year-old looking disappointed as he continues to be a bench option under Amorim.
Amorim explained ahead of the game that he will not focus on individuals when asked about Mainoo’s World Cup ambitions and that is a completely fair stance, but many fans are disappointed with how Mainoo’s development has been handled under the Portuguese boss.
The midfielder scored an FA Cup final winner last year and then starred for England at Euro 2024. He was producing top performances for United and now he has not started a game all season.
Mainoo needs chances
Mainoo did get extra minutes against Everton and that did not go to plan, with the Reds losing the game despite being a man up.
But on the other hand, the type of player that Mainoo is does not often excel as an impact option from the bench. He attempts to control the tempo of games and supply teammates. That isn’t easy to do off in 20 minutes.
Even with no European football, United are entering a busy period of the season and it would be good to see Amorim trust the academy star to show his talents from the start of games, and we will hopefully then start seeing his confidence grow.
Otherwise, talks over a potential January exit on loan will be inevitable when the window opens.
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