Manchester United vs. Norwich: Score, Reaction from 2015 Premier League Match

Norwich City shocked Manchester United at Old Trafford on Saturday, winning their Premier League encounter 2-1 and moving out of the relegation zone in the process.

Cameron Jerome gave the Canaries a shock lead just before half-time, and Alexander Tettey doubled their advantage early in the second half. Anthony Martial hit back shortly after, but the hosts couldn't find a late equaliser.

It's a massive win for the Canaries, who now sit three points ahead of 18th-placed Swansea City. United tumble out of the top five as their slump continues.

As shared by United's Twitter account, Wayne Rooney returned to the starting XI, while Memphis Depay was given another chance to show his worth after a rough start to his Premier League career:

The club confirmed Rooney would be appearing in his 500th match for United:

Ashley Young had a bright start, moving forward with regularity and putting plenty of pressure on the Canaries' defence, but chances were few in the opening stages of the match.

Memphis fired over the bar from a difficult position after a smart flick from Rooney, and the captain had a goal disallowed as Marouane Fellaini was offside during the buildup.

Martial split out very wide, allowing Rooney to see much of the ball through the centre and giving space to Depay to cut inside. The Dutchman had another look on goal from a standstill, but again, his effort sailed over.

Rob Dawson of the Manchester Evening News liked what he saw early:

It took the visitors 20 minutes to get their first look on goal, but Tettey missed the target with a wild shot after a promising move. United were in full control, but their dominance in possession didn't lead to any major chances, and the Old Trafford crowd started to grow restless.

Daley Blind did well to find Chris Smalling from a corner kick, but the England international couldn't direct his effort toward goal. Rooney then fired an inviting cross into the box, but the Norwich defence cleared the ball just before Memphis could get to it.

The pace of the match dropped as the first half wore on, and just as it looked as if we would see no more chances before half-time, the visitors took a shock lead. A quick counter-attack saw Nathan Redmond find Jerome, who used his strength to get past the last line of defenders before calmly slotting the ball past David De Gea.

Per James Ducker of the Times, the visiting fans had some fun at United manager Louis van Gaal's expense:

WhoScored.com noted this incredible statistic:

United tried to push for an equaliser late in the first half, but Norwich easily withstood their charge, and the score at half-time was 1-0.

Van Gaal made no changes to start the second half, and Dawson thought the next 45 minutes would be vital for him:

But if fans were hoping for a big response from the players, they were in for a shock. Norwich looked the more lively team early, and Redmond looked particularly dangerous on the counter. Juan Mata struggled tremendously distributing the ball, and before long, the Canaries doubled the lead.

Jerome again was at the heart of the action, holding off defenders before setting up Tettey with a clever pass. The Norwegian produced a fine finish that left De Gea with no chance, as the pressure on Van Gaal increased.

Ducker noted a handful of United fans had already started chanting Jose Mourinho's name:

The second goal seemed to wake United up, but the team played the ball forward without any real plan and instead tried to batter their way past the Norwich defenders. The plan worked, however, as one cross fell to Martial, who avoided two would-be tacklers and blasted home the first goal for the hosts.

Per WhoScored.com, the youngster hadn't found the goal in some time:

With 20 minutes left to play, the pressure increased even more on the Canaries defence. Young remained the main danger man, despite picking up a small knock, and substitute Ander Herrera also looked menacing.

Mata nearly redeemed himself with a good free-kick, putting Declan Rudd to work for the first time all match long. But Norwich came closest to scoring, as Dieumerci Mbokani found Youssouf Mulumbu, who forced a fantastic save from De Gea.

United didn't even press for a winner in the final minutes, as Norwich were allowed time and space with the ball and comfortably saw out the match.

It's another disappointing result for United, and Van Gaal's position seems to be getting less and less certain with every passing match. The Red Devils have now gone four straight Premier League matches without a win, and the gap with league leaders Leicester City continues to increase.

Tottenham Hotspur have passed the Red Devils in the standings following their win over Southampton.

Post-Match Reaction

Van Gaal refused to speculate about his future, via Simon Stone of BBC Sport:

Per Norwich City's official Twitter account, manager Alex Neil thought this result could do wonders for his team's confidence:

He gave all of the credit to the players, however, explaining they carried out their assignments to perfection.

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