TACTICAL SHIFT: RUBEN AMORIM'S BOLD CHANGES FUEL UNITED'S SELHURST PARK TURNAROUND
After a dreadful first half at Selhurst Park, Ruben Amorim's half-time team talk and bold substitutions spurred Man Utd to a vital 2-1 comeback win over Crystal Palace, stopping the 'rot' in November.
Ruben Amorim rushed to the Selhurst Park dressing room at halftime, with Manchester United down 1-0 after a poor first half. Whatever he said at halftime seemed to spark a change.
After a shaky November threatened to undo October's progress, United fought back to defeat a tired Crystal Palace. In what is always a long season, this victory was crucial to stop the slump, especially after a worrisome first-half showing in Croydon.
Before this game, United had won only once in their last 11 Premier League away matches—that was against Liverpool at Anfield last month. Amorim mentioned in the pre-match press talk that he wasn't sure why his team struggled away from home, but he emphasized that his players needed to close out games better.
Amorim left Patrick Dorgu out of the starting eleven, admitting he saw anxiety from the defender when he had the ball. Diogo Dalot took his place, but even Dalot hasn't been convincing at left wing-back this season.
Shea Lacey, 18, was the only attacking player on the bench. Kobbie Mainoo has played as a No. 10 at times, but Amorim has said he sees him mainly as a defensive midfielder. Before the game, only Arsenal (with six) had allowed fewer goals than Palace (nine) in the Premier League this season, and United had been toothless in attack against Everton earlier in the week.
Still, United had no excuse for not attacking on Sunday. Palace played against Strasbourg in France on Thursday, giving them just two days to prepare, unlike United's five days at Carrington. So, United came to Selhurst Park with a slight advantage.
Bryan Mbeumo patted Amad on the back as they headed back to the locker room before kickoff. Amad assisted Mbeumo against both Liverpool and Tottenham, making their link-up seem like a key factor again in this game. Though the pair were not at their best, United still clinched a win.
Dalot made a bigger impact in the first 30 seconds than Dorgu had in 58 minutes against Everton, launching a long throw into the box, but Casemiro failed to score from it.
The away fans sang '12 Days of Cantona' for two clear reasons: December was approaching fast, and the stadium was the site of Cantona’s infamous kung fu kick.
Amorim looked annoyed as Palace started creating chances. He paced the sideline, and the fourth official reminded him to stay in his coaching box. Soon after, Mbeumo got a yellow card for throwing the ball down in frustration.
Adam Wharton fired a shot right at Senne Lammens from just outside the box. Then Jean-Philippe Mateta missed an easy chance after Yoro’s mistake, and Yoro later blocked Yeremy Pino's shot. Yoro managed to recover after his earlier error that led to Mateta's opportunity.
Mateta kept causing trouble. He physically dominated Matthijs de Ligt and forced another mistake from Yoro, who fouled him unnecessarily in the box, giving away a clear penalty.
Mateta scored the penalty, but it was called back for a double touch. The rule that allows a retake after a failed penalty needs to be reconsidered. Anyway, Mateta made the second penalty.
"Boom, boom, Mateta's in the room" was chanted to the tune of the Vengaboys song twice in a row. This should have pushed United to respond strongly, but instead, they walked slowly off the field at halftime. Amad and Mbeumo weren't playing well, and United often struggle when those two don't perform.
Luke Shaw shook his head as the halftime whistle blew. Shaw, who has been at United for 11 years and was playing his 300th game for the club, played under five permanent managers during his time at Old Trafford. He might have been close to playing for another if United hadn't managed to turn things around. At least there won't be any big investigation on Monday morning.
Amorim made two halftime subs, and they paid off. Dalot played great, and Mason Mount scored a fantastic goal to put United up 2-1. It was a bold choice for Amorim to keep playing Joshua Zirkzee, but he proved right when the Dutchman scored a nice half-volley to bring the score level.
Zirkzee's shot had to be powerful to get past Dean Henderson—and it was. Since arriving from Bologna, Zirkzee hasn't always looked like a top striker, but if he can score more goals like that for United, he'll do just fine.
The Everton game was awful, and Amorim absolutely had to find a solution; in this game, he did.
INSIDE SENNE LAMMENS’ BLUEPRINT FOR MAN UNITED’S MASSIVE 2026 SUMMER TRANSFER OVERHAUL
"We want to be stronger." Read Senne Lammens' honest assessment of Manchester United’s squad needs after the Sunderland draw.
Senne Lammens isn’t hiding from the truth; he knows Manchester United have to beef up their squad this summer if they want to handle both the Premier League and Champions League next season.
Saturday’s 0-0 draw at Sunderland showed just how thin United are right now. Casemiro, Benjamin Sesko, and Manuel Ugarte all sat out with injuries, and you could feel their absence on the pitch.
It’s been a weird season for United. They played just 40 games, the fewest in over a century, because they were eliminated from Europe and both domestic cups so early. But now they’re back in the Champions League, and Lammens realises the team has to get deeper if they want to compete seriously.
“Yeah, definitely. This league’s tough, and next year’s schedule is going to be insane,” the goalkeeper said. “You want to have enough reliable players, people who can step up whenever they’re needed.”
Lammens made it clear that United must invest in new signings during the summer window. He’s not saying the squad lacks quality now, but he knows things will get tougher. “Honestly, I think we’ve got a lot of talent this year,” he said. “But next season’s going to ask a lot more from us, and you need to be ready for injuries and everything that can come with a busy year like today, when we missed a few regular starters. Being able to call on others to jump in really matters.”
He wants a strong, well-rounded group ready for the challenges ahead. “We’re already building towards that, but we want to be even stronger for next season.”
Some people wondered if United relaxed after they clinched their Champions League spot by beating Liverpool last weekend. Lammens brushed that idea off. He said head coach Michael Carrick was all over them, reminding everyone to finish the season on a high.
“I don’t think so, not for me at least,” Lammens said. “The manager made it clear that these last games are important. We want as many points as we can get and to finish as high as possible. How you end the season carries over. It’s your launchpad for next year. We want to keep the momentum going.”
He didn’t want to hear any excuses. “Honestly, if we’d played at Sunderland a few weeks ago before securing the Champions League, it still would’ve been tough. That wasn’t in our minds.”
Carrick echoed those thoughts after the match. He sounded almost annoyed when asked if the players were mentally on holiday already.
“I get almost offended by that,” he said. “The way the players prepared and battled out there, it’s clear they’re still focused. If we’d been off it, we’d have lost. Sunderland pushed us hard at times.”
He thinks the pride and responsibility of playing for Manchester United is all the motivation the team needs. “That’s what keeps us sharp, knowing we represent something big. That doesn’t guarantee we’ll always play brilliantly, but it’s enough to fight through tough days.”
MANCHESTER UNITED HOLD ADVANCED NEGOTIATIONS FOR RECORD-BREAKING £18M BETWAY SPONSORSHIP
Despite the upcoming front-of-shirt gambling ban, explore how Man United’s Betway deal targets training apparel at Carrington.
Manchester United are currently discussing a potential sponsorship deal with Betway, reportedly worth up to £18 million. This comes despite the Premier League having banned betting companies from featuring as main shirt sponsors starting from the 2026-27 season.
Back in 2023, Premier League clubs collectively agreed to remove gambling logos from the front of their shirts. From that point, no top-flight team will carry betting advertisements on their kits during matches. But this new deal would see Betway appear on United’s training gear, not their matchday shirts.
According to reports from the MEN, talks have progressed significantly. If an agreement were reached, the Betway logo would be quite visible on the training apparel worn by players at Carrington, United’s training ground. That means fans would regularly see the branding in video footage and photos taken during training sessions.
Previously, United’s training kits featured Tezos, a blockchain company, until that partnership ended in June 2025. Betway has its own history with English football; they’ve been shirt sponsors for West Ham United and maintain global gambling partnerships with several Premier League clubs, including Manchester City, Arsenal, and Brighton & Hove Albion.
The financial terms on the table for this Betway deal would be substantially close to £18 million, putting it on a similar scale to Bayern Munich’s partnership with Allianz, which includes stadium naming rights. This is quite a significant figure for a single training kit sponsor.
This season, United have gone without a sponsor on their training gear. After the Tezos contract expired, the club chose not to rush into a new agreement. They wanted to carefully evaluate potential partners, both from a financial standpoint and in terms of brand alignment.
There were even conversations with the African division of the Six Rivers Foundation, a conservation project in which United minority owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe has invested. However, those discussions didn’t lead to a deal.
When majority owners Joel and Avram Glazer visited Carrington earlier this year, commercial revenue and sponsorship opportunities were among the key topics addressed. The club has also brought in marketing agency Two Circles, where ex-United sales manager Leo Thompson works, to help find a new sleeve sponsor, given that the current contract with DXC ends this summer.
Securing Champions League qualification for next season under Michael Carrick’s leadership has somewhat eased the process. United guaranteed their place in Europe’s top competition after a 3-2 victory over Liverpool at Old Trafford, which should make the club more attractive to potential commercial partners.
