Man Utd 0 Crystal Palace 2: Amorim’s woeful side slip to 13th as visitors leapfrog Red Devils with smash-and-grab win
MANCHESTER UNITED fell to their 11th Prem defeat of the season as Crystal Palace leapfrogged them in the table.
Ruben Amorim’s gamble of starting Kobbie Mainoo in attack did not pay off, although Rasmus Hojlund and Joshua Zrikzee failed to change things after coming on.
Jean-Philippe Mateta was the hero once again for Crystal Palace[/caption] The striker reacted quickest to fire in a rebound for his first[/caption]Jean-Philippe Mateta was the hero for Palace once again as he reacted quickest to fire in a rebound after Maxence Lacroix’s header hit the bar.
The striker then poked home from close range and he and Daniel Munoz burst through on the United goal to seal the three points late on.
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New signings Patrick Dorgu, left, and Ayden Heaven were unveiled ahead of kick-off[/caption]Shane Lowry eyeing bucket list PGA Tour win as he’s set to do battle with Rory McIlroy at AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am
SHANE Lowry and Rory McIlroy are both in contention to land the AT&T Po-Am title at Pebble Beach.
Sunday evening in Monterrey is set to be a thrilling conclusion to the event as both Irishmen are just one shot off the lead.
AMEX winner Sepp Straka holds the 54-hole lead as the Austrian aims to bag his second win in three weeks.
McIlroy and Lowry each carded impressive rounds of 65 on Saturday, and now are just on off the 16-under-par leader.
Straka dropped three straight shots around the turn before planting in four birdies in his final five holes to post a hard fought 70.
McIlory was delighted with the -7 round in his first PGA Tour event of the 2025 campaign in the windy conditions on the iconic links track.
Speaking to Amada Balionis after his round in California, he said: “It was a really good poor-weather performance.
“One thing I’m trying to improve is playing more bogey-free rounds—just playing smarter, making the right choices, and avoiding destructive shots.
“It might not always be exciting, but it’s definitely more effective.”
Offaly ace Lowry carded four birdies in his final eight holes with four birdies after a slick front-nine, where he eagled the par-five second.
Lowry has bounced back well after missing the cut in his first event of the season at the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines.
And now he said he’d love to back an individual win on a bucket list course.
“I live in Florida for a reason.
‘It was like this in Ireland over Christmas, and my golf clubs just sat in the hall—I didn’t play. When the weather is like that, I don’t play golf anymore.”
“There’s a few courses in the world that you would like to win on and this is definitely one of them.”
Ryder Cup pals Straka, McIlroy and Lowry all play together in the final round.
The trio are set to tee off at 6:15pm with all the action live on Sky Sports Golf from 4pm.
Man Utd player ratings: Amad Diallo best of bad bunch in Palace horror show as Harry Maguire dominated by Mateta
RUBEN AMORIM’s striker experiment went down like a lead balloon as Crystal Palace beat Manchester United 2-0 at Old Trafford.
United set pieces woes continued. And double goalscorer Jean-Philippe Mateta was the only striker on the Old Trafford pitch on Sunday.
Kobbie Mainoo started ahead of both strikers Joshua Zirkzee and Rasmus Hojlund[/caption] Ruben Amorim and Oliver Glasner carried wreaths to mark the anniversary of the Munich Air Disaster[/caption]Amorim’s latest bold new tactic saw midfielder Kobbie Mainoo lead the line as the No.9. And it failed miserably.
Mainoo starred as a No.10 in United’s Europa League win against FCSB win on Thursday. But Amorim can’t do this again in the Prem.
United started well but soon struggled to get out of their own half as the Eagles established a foothold and were organised without the ball.
The Red Devils had ten shots in the first-half, zero on target. And Palace showed United how to use wing-backs.
No matter the system, individual errors showed the fragility that lurks below the surface as Amorim can’t get a tune out of this lot.
Andre Onana – 5
Was left vulnerable by a shaky back-line. But his opposite number Dean Henderson, who departed Old Trafford for Selhurst Park in 2022, showed him up.
Was beaten by Lacroix’s looping header, which came off the crossbar into Mateta’s path. Not much he could’ve done about the second goal.
Leny Yoro – 5
Came in for De Ligt, who was benched. Was inches away from scoring his first United goal early on. His positioning was a problem at times.
Harry Maguire – 4
Lost his battle with striker Jean-Philippe Mateta, who held the ball up well and got in behind every time and was left stranded for his goal.
Hasn’t connected with Yoro. Palace, namely Sarr, opened them both up with ease and should’ve buried some chances through Mateta.
Lisandro Martinez – 6
Was stretchered off after jarring his knee in the 79th minute.
Seems to be enjoying his new role in Amorim’s 3-4-3, with sharp, crisp passing from deep into the forward lines.
The Argentine has been scoring the goals recently, but blazed a centre-back’s shot over the bar on the brink of half-time.
Noussair Mazraoui – 5
He was okay in the right wing-back role again but it is obviously not his best position.
Was asked to shoot too often, with Rasmus Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee both sitting on the bench.
Diogo Dalot – 4
Bizarrely ducked for Munoz’s back post headed chance on 10 minutes.
Awful link-up play with a horrible blind pass inside the Palace box in a promising team position before the break. He’s not a left winger.
Manuel Ugarte – 6
Missing in the middle when Mateta’s stunning 80-yard run. Missed half a chance in the second-half.
Bruno Fernandes – 6
Restricted. Couldn’t get forward much and was unlucky not to score from his usual 20-yard territory after being denied by Henderson.
Booked.
Bruno Fernandes struggled to break Palace down in the first-half[/caption]Amad Diallo – 7
Great individual runs, on and off the ball. Dropped to wing-back after Mainoo came off and was involved in anything good creatively.
Alejandro Garnacho – 6
Predictable build-up. But worked hard tracking back as one of the two 10s.
Kobbie Mainoo – 4
Huge experiment by Amorim to have Mainoo lead the line, albeit falsely. It didn’t pay off, but it wasn’t all his fault.
It looked promising early on when the England star set up Garnacho and hit post inside six minutes.
But he didn’t get the service or have the hold up play required to be effective.
SUBS
Hojlund (’70 for Mainoo)
Zirkzee (’70 for Mazraoui)
Lidl Ireland shoppers rush to stores as €20 household must-have hits middle aisle
LIDL Ireland fans are set to love their new additions that will help your home stay sparkling clean.
For those who don’t want to splurge on high-end household cleaning equipment to do the job, the German chain has released some fantastic bargains that will help make your home clean and fresh.
The Vileda Spray and Clean is priced at €19.99 and is set to be the biggest hit among its shoppers.
And the best thing is that no bucket is required for it, making it seamless and easy to clean your floors.
It comes with an adjustable spray mist, a removable water tank and two mop covers that can be easily washed.
The mop is very compact as the handle can be lowered down – and it’s suitable for all floors.
The spray mist helps make the home smell gorgeous, and you can add any floral essence to the water tank if you want to give your home a particular smell.
The pad is easy to add and remove from the brush – and it is machine washable, making it multi-use.
The bargain product is set to be available in stores nationwide from February 10.
However, that is not all Lidl Ireland has to offer in their middle aisle as they are set to sell two fantastic household cleaning products.
The Vileda Steam ONE Steam Mop is priced at €49.99, and it includes carpet gliders – perfect for wooden and carpet flooring.
The steam mop is ready to use in just 15 seconds and includes a microfiber pad, 400ml water tank and carpet glider, making cleaning much more seamless.
It can banish germs and keep your home sparkling clean due to the power of steam, eliminating bacteria and viruses from all types of floors.
It requires no chemicals but you can add any floral essence to the water tank if you want to give your home a particular smell.
The mop is ideal for corners and small places, as it has a triangular-shaped floor frame and a new ergonomic grip that makes cleaning in smaller places easier.
It is also easier to store, as you can easily remove the handle and clip it into the back of the floor cleaner to create a smaller unit that you can store easily in your cupboard.
SIMPLE MOP WITH EXCELLENT BUCKET
The Easy Wring and Clean Mop & Bucket Set is priced at €24.99.
The mop features microfiber materials, making cleaning grime and dirt off the hard floors easier.
The bucket comes with an easy spin and dry feature, making it quick to rinse and dry your mop before using it on the floors.
And the best thing is that it is pedal-activated, meaning you don’t need to bend down at any time to clean the mop while cleaning your floors.
Kyle Walker named in AC Milan starting XI for huge derby vs Inter as ex-City star joined by wife Annie Kilner in Italy
KYLE WALKER got the nod to make his AC Milan debut by starting in the huge derby against Inter.
The English right-back, 34, completed his loan switch to the Serie A giants from Manchester City last week.
He was not in the squad to face Parma last weekend or eligible for the Champions League clash with Dinamo Zagreb on Wednesday.
However, Rossoneri boss Sergio Conceicao threw him in from the start in one of the biggest matches in world football.
The City captain – deemed surplus to requirements by Pep Guardiola – was brought straight into the starting XI for the Sunday showdown.
Walker will be hoping to keep his new side’s faint hopes of qualifying for the Champions League alive – and denting Inter’s title ambitions.
Milan go into the ‘home’ San Siro clash down in eighth – one place above Roma but 16 points behind their city enemies.
Inter, meanwhile, know victory would see them leapfrog Napoli to the top of the Serie A table.
The game kicks off in Milan just 30 minutes after Walker’s parent club City get underway in the mammoth clash at Arsenal.
Walker’s future appears to be away from the Etihad, despite his contract running until 2026.
He had an “uncomfortable” conversation with Guardiola where he told the manager he wanted to leave and AC Milan do have the option to make the loan deal permanent at the end of the season.
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