Manchester United came from behind to defeat Crystal Palaceplaceholder image
Manchester United came from behind to defeat Crystal Palace | Getty Images
Man Utd came from behind to defeat Crystal Palace in the Premier League on Sunday afternoon.
Palace were by far the better team in the first half and deservedly led when Jean-Philippe Mateta scored from the penalty spot at the second attempt. It seemed like United were on course for another disappointing result before they came out firing in the second half to grab a precious three points in the capital.
Bruno Fernandes was the architect of the comeback and grabbed two assists as quickfire goals from Joshua Zirkzee and Mason Mount turned the game on its head at Selhurst Park. Palace pushed for a late leveller but were unable to find a way back into the match as they dropped points following a midweek European encounter once again.
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United trio praised after Palace draw
There was a lot to hate about Manchester United's first-half performance against Crystal Palace, but a lot to love about the manner in which they responded to the setback. Bruno Fernandes picked up the official Player of the Match award, though he was not the only United midfielder who caught the eye.
Speaking after the win, TNT Sport pundit Joe Cole piled the praise on United's spirited second-half display, and in particular a trio who played a key role in their comeback win. "The intensity they come out and played the second half with was fantastic," the former Chelsea and West Ham star said. "Bruno Fernandes, Casemiro, Mason Mount, outstanding in there at times. Getting hold of the ball, moving it, they created chances, looked strong at the back.
"The hardest thing for these players is the weight of the shirt, you lose on Monday night with a bad performance, a bad result at home and the criticism that inevitably follows. And you have to deal with that, come out on a Sunday morning in south London and play like they did in the second half. We’ve criticised them, criticised the manager but today they deserve all the praise, they were fantastic."
Those thoughts were echoed by former Liverpool striker Peter Crouch, who added: "We asked for it at half-time, there were players there who could give more and they did second half, to be fair to them.
"You can see with their reactions on the final whistle the sheer joy, the relief, the passion that they’ve shown. You could see how big that was, the criticism that’s been levelled at them after the Everton game was really disappointing, great reaction for them certainly second half."
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