Fernandes points finger at 'who is to blame' after they crashed 2-0 against Palace

Bruno Fernandes has called for Manchester United to be more clinical in the final third following their disappointing 2-0 loss to Crystal Palace at Old Trafford.

United started brightly, with Kobbie Mainoo hitting the post, but Palace weathered the early pressure and grew in confidence as the game progressed.

The visitors took the lead just after the hour mark, when Jean-Philippe Mateta pounced on a rebound after the ball came off the crossbar.

Despite attempting to respond, United looked toothless in attack once again.

Their struggles in front of goal continued, and Mateta sealed the victory in the 89th minute with another simple finish, securing an impressive away win for Palace.

Speaking to MUTV after the match, Fernandes stressed the importance of being more ruthless in front of goal: "We spoke after the games we won that everything we did in the past would be forgotten if we didn’t win the next one. That’s exactly what happened today."

"We need points in the Premier League, everyone knows that. It’s a different competition, and we have to win, but unfortunately, we didn’t get the three points today."

The United captain admitted his side lacked aggression and creativity in attack, despite having talented forward players: "We lacked a little bit of aggression to get into the final third and the sharpness to score goals.

"With the players we have up front, we should be creating and scoring more."

"We did have some chances, but not as many as we should have. We need to take more risks, take players on, and be more decisive."

Fernandes also acknowledged that United’s recent three-game winning streak had boosted confidence, but this latest setback highlights the work still to be done:

"Winning builds confidence. We had won three in a row, so everyone was feeling good, but this result is a setback.

"We need to recognize that we’ve been doing some good things, and even today, we had positive moments."

"The result doesn’t reflect that, but we have to keep pushing forward and improving."

Following the defeat, United sit 13th in the Premier League, just 12 points above the relegation zone. With their attacking issues persisting, Ruben Amorim will need to find solutions quickly to turn their form around.