Manchester United’s woeful home form this season continued as they slumped to a 2-0 defeat by Crystal Palace in the Premier League on Sunday.

Despite United chasing a fourth successive win in all competitions, Palace were much the better side in the first half at Old Trafford, passing up several chances to capitalise on their superiority.

The visitors did make one count after 64 minutes, Jean-Philippe Mateta reacting first after the ball had come off the crossbar to give his side a deserved lead.

United upped the ante in search of an equaliser but lacked ideas, with Mateta condemning the hosts to a seventh home league loss this term with a late second, helping Palace climb above 13th-placed United into 12th in the standings.

“The result is really bad,” United manager Ruben Amorim told Sky Sports. “The performance was a little bit better than the last games. We controlled the transitions quite well for Crystal Palace.

“It’s normal for the fans to feel negative, it is a hard season for them but football can change in certain moments. I will prepare for the next game and move forward. Better things will come.”

United came into Sunday’s encounter on the back of their best run under Amorim, having secured a third successive win in all competitions at Steaua Bucharest on Thursday.

Amorim has, however, yet to taste back-to-back league wins since he took charge in late November. No United manager since Tommy Docherty in 1972-73 has had to wait so long to achieve that.

After a pre-match tribute to those who died in the Munich air disaster 67 years ago, Kobbie Mainoo, playing in an unfamiliar central striker role, went close to giving United the perfect start, striking the post with a deflected shot.

Palace, in fine away form having won four of their previous five on the road, looked the more threatening early on, with defenders Daniel Munoz and Tyrick Mitchell going close to an opener.

The visitors continued to press, with Mateta denied by a brilliant save from Andre Onana as halftime approached.

Needing improvement after again failing to score in the first half of a league match – now 18 goalless opening periods in 24 this season – United pushed forward after the break.

Palace goalkeeper Dean Henderson was finally called into action, denying Bruno Fernandes and Manuel Ugarte with smart saves, but Mateta’s close-range finish, after Maxence Lacroix’s header had hit the crossbar, was what the visitors’ endeavour merited.

For all their pressure, United openings failed to materialise, with Mateta finishing off a Palace counter in the 89th minute to send the away supporters into raptures.

– Premier League – Manchester United v Crystal Palace – Old Trafford, Manchester, Britain – February 2, 2025 Crystal Palace’s Jean-Philippe Mateta scores their second goal past Manchester United’s Andre Onana Action Images via Reuters/Jason Cairnduf

United have now lost seven of their first 13 league home matches this season, their joint-most at this stage of a league campaign, along with 1893-94.

United defender Lisandro Martinez was carried off on a stretcher in the second half with what looked like a serious knee injury.

-Reuters

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Paul Onuachu scored a dramatic late winner as Southampton secured their first Premier League victory since November at fellow strugglers Ipswich.

While Saints remain anchored to the bottom of the table with just nine points from 24 games, their win also arrests a run of six consecutive top-flight defeats and is the first time they have taken three points since Ivan Juric was appointed manager on 21 December.

The visitors had opened the scoring in the first half when Joe Aribo’s bouncing first-time effort deceived home goalkeeper Arijanet Muric.

Liam Delap levelled for the hosts before the break, racing away from Saints captain Jan Bednarek to place a low effort past Aaron Ramsdale.

And in a largely uninspiring encounter Omari Hutchinson, Julio Enciso and Delap had opportunities to claim all three points for Kieran McKenna’s side.

However, when substitute Kamaldeen Sulemana’s effort was only parried by Muric, Nigeria forward Onuachu was on hand to prod in the rebound.

Until that point, the Tractor Boys had looked set to move out of the relegation zone on goal difference, but instead stay 19th.

-BBC

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Chris Wood’s magnificent vein of form continued as his hat-trick helped Nottingham Forest to their biggest top flight win in 34 years with a brutal 7-0 thrashing of Brighton at the City Ground.

Nuno Espirito Santo was looking for a response following their 5-0 defeat at Bournemouth last week and his side responded in style.

Brighton simply could not deal Morgan Gibbs-White, who was at the heart of Forest’s stylish first-half showing as he forced Lewis Dunk into putting in his own net before scoring one of his own to put the hosts in a commanding position.

Anthony Elanga provided Gibbs-White’s header from a clever corner routine and chalked up his second assist of the afternoon when he put one on to the head of Wood.

Elanga completed a hat-trick of assists when set up Wood’s second and the New Zealand striker followed suit in the goals column when he tucked away a penalty before Neco Williams and Jota Silva finished the rout for Forest’s biggest Premier League victory since April 1991, when they beat Chelsea 7-0.

In typical fashion, the home side drew first blood with their first foray forward.

Gibbs-White darted into space and sent a teaser into the box which forced Dunk to stick a leg out and turn the ball into his own goal.

Forest doubled their advantage in the 25th minute after Wood’s initial effort was blocked out for a corner, Elanga whipped the ball on a sixpence for Gibbs-White to powerfully glance into the roof of the net.

Matz Sels was called into the action for the first time as he scrambled off his line to deny Danny Welbeck’s one-on-one effort.

Brighton were simply not at the races and were in danger of being totally ripped apart before the break – the conductor of the orchestra, Gibbs-White, continued to impress – his cross-field ball found Williams who lashed narrowly wide before Wood’s crack from distance forced Bart Verbruggen to tip over.

The hosts were showing zero mercy in a savage first half which eventually saw Forest land a third. Elanga continued to taunt Tariq Lamptey and he lifted a cross into the clinical Wood who nodded home.

Brighton pushed for a response, the fingertips of Sels proved crucial to flick Welbeck’s curler off the underside of the bar and off the line

However the Reds firmly had their foot on Brighton’s throat and punished them with a fourth in the 64th minute. Elanga’s domineering afternoon went on, he drilled a ball across the face of goal and none other than Wood was waiting to stick into an empty net.

The Seagulls’ miserable afternoon was not finished there either, Simon Hooper pointed to the penalty spot when Lamptey wrestled Gibbs-White to the floor and Wood made no mistake from 12 yards for his 17th goal of the season.

Forest wanted more and they had a sixth when the ball fell for Williams for his second goal for the club.

The humiliation continued and a pathetic Brighton performance was rubber-stamped when Verbruggen passed straight to Jota who slotted home to get Forest’s European surge back on track.

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