TOOTHLESS & CLUELSEE

毫无威力&毫无头绪

It’s another stinker for Lukaku’n Co

卢卡库和他的队友又踢了一场臭球

At least this time there could beno sit-down protest – at an all-seater stadium it would be a tough ask, infairness.至少这一次可能不会出现静坐抗议——平心而论，在一座全座席球场内，这将是一个很难的要求。

Yet once again there were plenty of boos. And you could not really say Manchester United did not deserve every one of them and more.然而，现场再次响起了诸多嘘声。实际上，你不能说曼联不应得到所有的嘘声，或者更多的嘘声。

After all, this is a Crystal Palace team which has become the Red Devils' own personal flogging tool over the years.毕竟，这是一支已经成为红魔多年来的私人鞭笞工具的水晶宫队。

The one they had beaten in their last 11 league visits to Old Trafford.就是这支过去11次联赛造访老特拉福德均被他们击败的球队。

The one they had never lost to in 18 Prem clashes.就是这支在过去的18次英超较量中他们从未输过的球队。

The one they last lost to here in December 1989 - a defeat which led to half the ground sitting down in protest to try to replace Alex Ferguson with Bryan Robson.他们上一次在这里输给这支球队还是在1989年12月——那场失利导致半个球场的球迷用静坐表示抗议，试图用布莱恩·弗格森取代亚历克斯·弗格森。

OK, this time they did not lose. This time the fans were not calling for Jose Mourinho's head.好吧，这一次他们没有输球。这一次球迷们没有要求何塞·穆里尼奥下课。

But in terms of toothless, clueless, hopeless displays, few have been quite as dismal in the three decades since that chilly winter's afternoon. Do not forget, this was a Palace side that arrived in Manchester outside the drop zone only on goal difference.但就此役毫无威力、毫无头绪且毫无希望的表现而言，自从那个寒冷的冬日下午过后，这30年来很少有人像现在这样郁郁寡欢。不要忘了，这支造访曼彻斯特的水晶宫队仅以净胜球优势高出降级区。

Yet one which had every reason to ultimately head south thinking they were the ones left hard done by.然而，当这支球队最终奔向南方时，他们完全有理由认为自己受到了不公正对待。

Not even the return of Romelu Lukaku could spark United into life.甚至罗梅卢·卢卡库的回归也不能让曼联恢复生机。

Mind you, with only four goals this season, the Belgian has not exactly been a regular match-winner.请注意，本赛季只打进4球的比利时人已经不完全能经常成为比赛胜负手。

He rarely threatened to be this time, either. But the Belgian did finally put one away, only to be denied by a - just about correct - offside call.这一次他也很少露出此种迹象。但比利时人最终确实打进了一球，只不过因越位判罚——恰好是正确的——而被取消。

To be fair, United had actually looked promising in the early minutes, with Aaron Wan-Bissaka forced to block a Jesse Lingard drive.公平地说，曼联实际上在比赛初期看起来很有希望，当时艾伦·万-比萨卡被迫封堵出杰西·林加德的一脚劲射。

When Wayne Hennessey was alert to deny Anthony Martial, you thought maybe, just maybe, this was an afternoon when it would finally fall into place. We should have realised it was never going to be that simple.当韦恩·亨内西机警地阻止了安东尼·马歇尔的射门时，你也许会觉得——只是也许——这是一个一切最终都将变得有条不紊的下午。我们本应意识到它永远不会那样简单地进行下去。

Having scored the first goal just once in the past two months, then again it was never likely to be.曼联在过去两个月内仅有一次率先取得进球，此役他们又一次绝无可能打破僵局。

Largely it was same old, same old. Which, in United's case, means misplaced passes and missed tackles, leaving gaps where there should be none.基本上还是老样子，就是老样子。以曼联的情况来说，这就意味着没有到位的传球、错过的拼抢以及在不应留下空隙的地方留下空隙。

They were just lucky to be playing a side that did not habe the cutting edge to make the most of it -  or Mourinho's men could have been buried.他们只是很幸运地碰上了一支没有最前沿的技术去充分利用这点的球队——否则穆里尼奥的球队本可能会被掩埋。

As it was, United were still hugely fortunate to still be level at half-time, after a quick-fire break which had everything apart from the finishing touch.事实上，在经历了对手一次万事俱备只差最后一击的快速反击之后，曼联依然非常幸运地在半场结束时保持着平局。

Max Meyer played a key role in driving through the middle and finding Wilfreid Zaha on the right.马克斯·迈尔在快速通过中场的进攻中起到关键作用，随后传球找到右路的威尔弗雷德·扎哈。

He played the ideal ball to full-back Patrick van Aanholt, in tons of space on the opposite flank.他将球完美地分给另一侧边路、处在大片空当区域的边后卫帕特里克·范安霍尔特。

Yet with all the time in the world, he stubbed hias right-foot shot hopelessly and horribly wide.然而在有充分时间做准备的情况下，他的右脚射门却令人绝望，并且偏得离谱。

The alarm call which finally jolted United into acton? Well, it certainly seemed to be when Ashley Young drilled a low ball into the box and Lingard dragged a fine stop from keeper Hennessey.最终促使曼联采取行动的警报信号是什么呢？好吧，看起来无疑是阿什利·扬送出一脚低平传中到禁区内的时候，随后林加德的射门让门将亨内西做出了一次精彩扑救。

Yet this is a side which never threatens to get up a head of steam and overwhelm opponents.然而，这是一支从未威胁要振作起来并全面压倒对手的球队。

It is not a side which, when it does score one, suggests it will go on to rattle up a cricket score.这并不是一支在打进一球后会暗示它将继续进攻、争取收获一个板球赛场上才有的比分的球队。

In short it is not a side anything approaching even the ones of Fergie's final years - let alone the days of Doubles and Trebles.简而言之，这支球队甚至完全比不上弗格森执教时期最后几年的曼联队——更不用说双冠王以及三冠王时代。

These days the best treble Mourinho's men could seriously hope for is three wins on the spin. And let us be honest, you sould not be confident of them doing that too often.如今，别说什么三冠王，穆里尼奥的球队能够真正期待的仅仅是三连胜而已。让我们实话实说，你不会有信心他们能太过经常地做到这点。

Indeed, only linesman Marc Perry's flag denied Palace when Luka Milivojevic floated a free-kick into the box and Cheikhou Kouyate rose just ahead of Victor Lindelof to nod home.事实上，当卢卡·米利沃耶维奇将一记任意球送入禁区，切克胡·库亚特起跳刚好力压维克托·林德洛夫将球顶进网窝时，拒绝水晶宫的仅仅是边裁马尔科·佩里的旗子。

It was the closest of calls but at least assistant ref Perry, to give him his official name, was consistent.虽然这个越位判罚只在毫厘之间，但至少助理裁判佩里——给予他正式的名称——是前后一致的。

For when Lukaku tapped home after Hennessey flung himself to keep out a low Young fizzer, his upper half, at least, had strayed just beyond James Tomkins. Again, goal ruled out. Mind you, if Palace had a goalscorer, raised flags - errant, proven or otherwise -  would not even have been an issue yesterday afternoon.当卢卡库在亨内西飞身扑出扬的一脚低平远射之后推射破门时，至少他的上半身稍稍超过了詹姆斯·汤姆金斯。进球再一次被判无效。请注意，如果水晶宫拥有一名得分手，那些被举起的边旗——或出现错误，或经过证实，或其他情况——甚至都不会在昨天下午成为一个问题。

They would have left Old Trafford with more than a point, for sure.当然，他们本可以从老特拉福德带走不止一分。

Andros Townsend, for one, will certainly be thinking what could - and what should - have been when he jinked and jittered his way through four would-be attempts to stop him.举例来说，安德罗斯·汤森肯定会思考，当他左躲右闪跌跌撞撞地突破4名试图阻止他的防守球员时，什么事情本可能——本应——会发生。

But as he saw the whites of David De Gea's goalpsts, he side-footed wide when the target could hardly have been more inviting.然而，当他看到德赫亚身后的白色立柱时，他却在目标几乎不可能再更诱人的情况下用脚背将球踢偏了。

United were left thanking the heavens De Gea, like the rest of them, so often below his best this season, was back to it to keep put Kouyate's long-ranger and Van Aanholt's follow-up.当德赫亚——和队内的其他人一样，本赛季时常未处在自己的最佳状态——回归状态，接连扑出库亚特的远射以及范安霍尔特的补射时，曼联就只剩下谢天谢地了。

Even that full-length stop, though, played second fiddle to the one Hennessey produced to deny a lat Lukaku header. Not that United would have deserved it.不过，即使是那次全力扑救也只能充当亨内西为化解卢卡库最后时刻的头球攻门而做出的扑救的陪衬。这并不是曼联应得的。

Still, at least Mourinho could celebrate a clean sheet for only the second time this season.尽管如此，至少穆里尼奥可以庆祝本赛季他们仅仅第二次零封对手。

Somehow, you do not think that will go close to putting a smile on his face.不然你怎么能想得到这会接近于让他的脸上出现笑容呢。

21  MANCHESTER UNITED are now unbeaten intheir last 21 meetings with Crystal Palace in the league(W17 D4).曼联目前近21次联赛面对水晶宫保持不败（17胜4平）。

1  THIS was Man United’s first home Premier League clean sheet ofthe season. Their last at Old Trafford was against Watford in May.此役是曼联本赛季首次在联赛主场零封对手。他们上一次在老特拉福德做到这点还是在5月份对阵沃特福德的时候。

2  PALACE had 13 shots – their most in an away Prem game thisseason. However, just two of these were on target.水晶宫有13脚射门——他们本赛季在英超客场比赛中完成的最多射门次数。然而，其中只有两脚射正。

65  THIS was Man United’s 65th 0-0 draw in te Prem – 20 have come in the six seasons sinceSirAlex Ferguson retired.此役是曼联在英超中的第65场0-0平局——其中的20场出现在亚历克斯·弗格森爵士退休后的6个赛季里。