Ruben Amorim joked Manchester United were “stealing” set-piece routines after a second-half turnaround at Crystal Palace got them back on track in the Premier League.
Amorim’s critics quickly returned after United slipped to an abject loss at home to 10-man Everton on Monday to end an encouraging five-match unbeaten run.
When Jean-Philippe Mateta broke the deadlock for Palace in the 36th minute with a retaken penalty, Amorim’s tenure was set for another setback, but the inconsistent Joshua Zirkzee levelled nine minutes into second half after he collected Bruno Fernandes’ free kick.
United captain Fernandes then teed up Mason Mount to curl home the winner after 63 minutes from a quickly taken free kick to earn the visitors a much-needed 2-1 victory.
It made it four wins in seven under Amorim and United are only four points off rivals Manchester City after another away match where they have scored from a set-piece following goals at Nottingham Forest and Tottenham in November from corners.
“We have more time to work and we work a lot and we are learning,” Amorim acknowledged.
“We learn a lot in England. You are used to do that and see that [set-piece], but when you come to the Premier League, you learn a lot about how other the teams do it.
“And we are stealing a lot of things to score goals.”
Manchester United player ratings
Senne Lammens - 6/10: Saved from Wharton after 12 minutes from 12 yards out. The ball came straight at him but he was looking into the sun.
Leny Yoro - 4/10: Ball hit his shins and bounced kindly for Mateta, who should have scored on 15 minutes. Top block to deny Pina on 24, but got the wrong side of Mateta and stumbled onto him to concede a penalty on 32. Poor defending.
Matthijs De Ligt - 5/10: Slipped to allow Palace a chance before the break. Frustrated when one of his balls forward wasn’t chased.
Luke Shaw - 7/10: Good performance in his 300th appearance for Manchester United. Ran past Mount once in a game short of runners. Super block on Nketia when it should have been two to Palace. Booked.
Diogo Dalot - 7/10: Struggled going forward in the first half. Better in the second, like his team. Fortunate not to get booked. Held his hand up after a poor ball forward on 83. Key touch on 89 as Palace pushed for an equaliser. His long throws make a difference.
Amad Diallo - 5/10: Slowed the play down too much in the first half, when it wasn’t right to. And then did the same in the second when it was absolutely the right thing to do. United’s attack still looks disjointed, but it did a job today.
Casemiro - 6/10: Incredible chance in the first minute after a goal scramble. Floored after nine minutes, then headed wide from the ensuing free kick. Steady in the second half.
Bruno Fernandes - 7/10: Shot well over after 42, hit a cross in one of the few first-half chances, but came alive in the second. Lovely ball towards Zirkzee for United’s first. Laid the ball to Mount to score United’s second. Smart move.
Bryan Mbeumo - 5/10: Scuffed a first-minute chance that fell to Casemiro. Booked after 16 for throwing the ball down in anger. Poor cross on 23, which hit the first man. Rolled a shot at Henderson on 76.
Mason Mount - 7/10: Busier than any other United player, but needed better angles from Zirkzee to pass to. And then it turned in the second half. United and Mount pressed better, ran smarter. And his goal, hit low under the wall off a free-kick, was a delight.
Joshua Zirkzee - 7/10: Such a poor start in only his second start of the season, and he looked lost at times in the first half. But then he scored a lovely equaliser just after the break. Better footwork in the second half, too.
Substitutes
Noussair Mazraoui (On for Yoro on 54') - 6/10: Added to United in defence and attack.
Lisandro Martinez (On for Shaw on 82') - 6/10: Greeted by a huge roar from the 3,000 away fans. His first appearance in 10 months.
Kobbie Mainoo (On for Mbeumo after 90') - N/A.
Patrick Dorgu (On for Amad after 90') - N/A.
It's up to you to go green
Nils El Accad, chief executive and owner of Organic Foods and Café, says going green is about “lifestyle and attitude” rather than a “money change”; people need to plan ahead to fill water bottles in advance and take their own bags to the supermarket, he says.
“People always want someone else to do the work; it doesn’t work like that,” he adds. “The first step: you have to consciously make that decision and change.”
When he gets a takeaway, says Mr El Accad, he takes his own glass jars instead of accepting disposable aluminium containers, paper napkins and plastic tubs, cutlery and bags from restaurants.
He also plants his own crops and herbs at home and at the Sheikh Zayed store, from basil and rosemary to beans, squashes and papayas. “If you’re going to water anything, better it be tomatoes and cucumbers, something edible, than grass,” he says.
“All this throwaway plastic - cups, bottles, forks - has to go first,” says Mr El Accad, who has banned all disposable straws, whether plastic or even paper, from the café chain.
One of the latest changes he has implemented at his stores is to offer refills of liquid laundry detergent, to save plastic. The two brands Organic Foods stocks, Organic Larder and Sonnett, are both “triple-certified - you could eat the product”.
The Organic Larder detergent will soon be delivered in 200-litre metal oil drums before being decanted into 20-litre containers in-store.
Customers can refill their bottles at least 30 times before they start to degrade, he says. Organic Larder costs Dh35.75 for one litre and Dh62 for 2.75 litres and refills will cost 15 to 20 per cent less, Mr El Accad says.
But while there are savings to be had, going green tends to come with upfront costs and extra work and planning. Are we ready to refill bottles rather than throw them away? “You have to change,” says Mr El Accad. “I can only make it available.”
Rashid & Rajab
Director: Mohammed Saeed Harib
Stars: Shadi Alfons, Marwan Abdullah, Doaa Mostafa Ragab
Two stars out of five
Whiile you're here
Under 19 Cricket World Cup, Asia Qualifier
Fixtures
Friday, April 12, Malaysia v UAE
Saturday, April 13, UAE v Nepal
Monday, April 15, UAE v Kuwait
Tuesday, April 16, UAE v Singapore
Thursday, April 18, UAE v Oman
UAE squad
Aryan Lakra (captain), Aaron Benjamin, Akasha Mohammed, Alishan Sharafu, Anand Kumar, Ansh Tandon, Ashwanth Valthapa, Karthik Meiyappan, Mohammed Faraazuddin, Rishab Mukherjee, Niel Lobo, Osama Hassan, Vritya Aravind, Wasi Shah
MO
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The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Abu Dhabi traffic facts
Drivers in Abu Dhabi spend 10 per cent longer in congested conditions than they would on a free-flowing road
The highest volume of traffic on the roads is found between 7am and 8am on a Sunday.
Travelling before 7am on a Sunday could save up to four hours per year on a 30-minute commute.
The day was the least congestion in Abu Dhabi in 2019 was Tuesday, August 13.
The highest levels of traffic were found on Sunday, November 10.
Drivers in Abu Dhabi lost 41 hours spent in traffic jams in rush hour during 2019
The Lost Letters of William Woolf
Helen Cullen, Graydon House
'O'
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
While you're here
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
On Women's Day
'Brazen'
Director: Monika Mitchell
Starring: Alyssa Milano, Sam Page, Colleen Wheeler
Rating: 3/5
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
On Women's Day
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
ONCE UPON A TIME IN GAZA
Starring: Nader Abd Alhay, Majd Eid, Ramzi Maqdisi
Directors: Tarzan and Arab Nasser
Rating: 4.5/5
UAE SQUAD
Ali Khaseif, Mohammed Al Shamsi, Fahad Al Dhanhani, Khalid Essa, Bandar Al Ahbabi, Salem Rashid, Shaheen Abdulrahman, Khalifa Al Hammadi, Mohammed Al Attas, Walid Abbas, Hassan Al Mahrami, Mahmoud Khamis, Alhassan Saleh, Ali Salmeen, Yahia Nader, Abdullah Ramadan, Majed Hassan, Abdullah Al Naqbi, Fabio De Lima, Khalil Al Hammadi, Khalfan Mubarak, Tahnoun Al Zaabi, Muhammed Jumah, Yahya Al Ghassani, Caio Canedo, Ali Mabkhout, Sebastian Tagliabue, Zayed Al Ameri
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
1. United States
2. China
3. UAE
4. Japan
5 Norway
6. Canada
7. Singapore
8. Australia
9. Saudi Arabia
10. South Korea
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg
Bayern Munich v Real Madrid
When: April 25, 10.45pm kick-off (UAE)
Where: Allianz Arena, Munich
Live: BeIN Sports HD
Second leg: May 1, Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid
The President's Cake
Director: Hasan Hadi
Starring: Baneen Ahmad Nayyef, Waheed Thabet Khreibat, Sajad Mohamad Qasem
Rating: 4/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
How to apply for a drone permit
Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
Add all their personal details, including name, nationality, passport number, Emiratis ID, email and phone number
Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
Submit their request
What are the regulations?
Fly it within visual line of sight
Never over populated areas
Ensure maximum flying height of 400 feet (122 metres) above ground level is not crossed
Users must avoid flying over restricted areas listed on the UAE Drone app
Only fly the drone during the day, and never at night
Should have a live feed of the drone flight
Drones must weigh 5 kg or less