Manchester United suffer from persistent inconsistency as Alexander Isak and Florian Wirtz finally shine for Liverpool | soccer news

Manchester United suffered from persistent inconsistency.

Manchester United must find a way to overcome their Jekyll and Hyde complex. Ruben Amorim’s side came no closer in the first half at Crystal Palace.

They were running out of energy, faith and any ideas as they were pumping at Selhurt Park. But Joshua Zirkzee’s magic moment changed everything.

United’s start to the season overall has been quite positive and it has been a place where United are generally happy.

However, they failed to maintain their initial form. In recent games United have been much more effective in the second half. But their problem is a slow start.

The difference is clearly evident in the defensive numbers. In United’s first 11 games this season, the first-half expected goals against average was 5.71. In the second half, that number almost doubled to 11.07.

However, in the last two games (losses against Palace and Everton), United only had an expected goals ratio of 1.26 in the first half, and after the break this figure dropped significantly to 0.26.

It is important to remember that in both games, United were behind at half-time and were naturally more aggressive in the second half.

But there are clues in the numbers that Amorim’s team is a different team than when they took the lead eight times in their first 11 league games and when they conceded early on.

Perhaps there are signs of complacency in the lead that Amorim needs to correct while also finding ways to motivate faster starts.
William Vitibiri

Will Isaac’s goal be the turning point for him and Liverpool?

Liverpool manager Arne Slott agreed he felt it was “important”, while Alexander Isak said his first Premier League goal would “help” him find his best form. It will be interesting to see in the weeks and months ahead whether Sweden’s Sunday strike will be a turning point.

It certainly felt like West Ham needed a player in the first half, including Isaac. He looked a shadow of the player who starred at Newcastle last season, blocking chances and losing possession. But it was a brilliant, refreshing finish that ended his wait to hit the target since his £125m transfer.

The quality remains. Now your confidence has probably returned.

Florian Wirtz’s performance was also encouraged after Slot took the bold step of dropping Mohamed Salah at the London Stadium. Liverpool’s attack created enough opportunities to win this match comfortably.

If Isak can get his groove back and Slot can find a role to get the most out of Wirtz, Liverpool will surely put these disastrous results behind them. They were able to look back on this day and Isaac’s goal as a significant moment.
peter smith

Will Palace see the last of Sarr until next year?

Ismaila Sarr has been by far one of Crystal Palace’s standout players since joining the club from Marseille in August 2024. The numbers speak for themselves: 66 appearances, 20 goals, 10 assists.

But he probably played his last game of the year for Oliver Glasner’s side.

The Senegalese striker held out his hand as if he had twisted his ankle after falling under Luke Shaw’s challenge four minutes into the first half at Selhurst Park. He lasted another 30 minutes before being replaced by Eddie Nketiah.

Asked about Sarr’s condition in the post-match press conference, Glasner said: “The ankle is quite swollen, so I think he will be out for a few games, probably all the way until we get to AFCON.”

Senegal begins its AFCON campaign against Botswana in Tangier, Morocco on December 23. If Pape Thiaw’s side make it to the final, Sarr will not return to domestic action until late January or early February.

Glasner has already made it clear that Palace need to strengthen in January with a striker at the top of his shopping list, and that now appears to be even more important than before.
short long

Villa’s long-distance hero

With 10 wins out of 12 in all competitions, Aston Villa overcame a poor start to the season to turn things around at Villa Park and progress to the Champions League with a thrilling 1-0 win over winless Wolves.

Remarkably, Boubacar Camara’s goal was Villa’s ninth goal this Premier League season scored from outside the penalty box. That’s more goals than any other team in the competition and more goals than Wolves have managed in total. Can you continue?

Expected goals enthusiasts will tell you otherwise. If it had been the famous Youri Tielemans rocket, wouldn’t it have been Camara’s second Premier League goal? With your weak left foot? Villa are not creating many chances but somehow they are scoring enough to win.

According to Opta, Villa’s expected goals total this season is only 0.02 times higher than Wolves’, with Unai Emery’s side ranked 17th in expected goals. However, their efficiency, combined with Emiliano Martinez’s big moments at times, has propelled them to the top of the table.
Adam Bate

De Cuyper shines at Brighton as Forest miss Murillo badly.

Last season Brighton suffered humiliation at Nottingham Forest after losing 7-0 at the City Ground in February.

Almost 10 months later, the Seagulls avenged that embarrassment with a brilliant win that showed they are serious contenders for a European place this season.

The key to victory was Maxim de Kuyper, a player who had not suffered such a defeat in the East Midlands last season. Brighton manager Fabian Herzeler has deployed the summer signing to great effect in his new position on the left wing.

From there, the Belgium international attacked down the left flank and helped Brighton attempt nine shots in the opening 20 minutes. This was the most shots on target during a Premier League match.

And it was De Kuyper who provided the breakthrough to cap off a fine first half display. The 24-year-old was named man of the match after creating the most chances (4) and attempting the most crosses (4) of any Seagulls player.

speaking sky sports Regarding his subsequent change of position, he said, “I played there a lot when I was young, so it was a little strange to play there again at first, but I’m happy there.”

Meanwhile, a lot has changed at Forest since the 7-0 win over Brighton. This is because a new coach was appointed, the team entered the European soccer world, and the possibility of relegation could not be ruled out. But 10 months later, one of the biggest differences was Murillo’s absence.

The Forest defender missed Sunday’s game through injury and his unavailability was keenly felt.

His replacement Morato had a shaky performance that ended with Brighton’s second mistake.

So Forest boss Sean Dyche will be hoping Murillo’s injury heals before his side are relegated to six points against Wolves, who ended in a draw on Wednesday. sky sports.
Declan Ollie