By OUR MAN AT SELHURST
LONDON – Manchester United staged a sensational second-half fightback to sink Crystal Palace 2-1 yesterday and become the first side to clip the Eagles’ wings at Selhurst Park in over nine months!
Ruben Amorim’s Red Devils looked dead and buried at the break after a dismal opening 45 minutes saw Jean-Philippe Mateta put Palace ahead from a penalty (36′)— which he had to retake after a VAR check spotted a rare ‘double touch’ on his first effort.
But whatever gaffer Amorim said at half-time worked wonders, as the visitors came out firing like a rocket.
The comeback king was first a forgotten man, Joshua Zirkzee, who sensationally ended his year-long Premier League goal drought by chesting down a Bruno Fernandes free-kick and firing home a superb angled strike to level the scores (54′).
The momentum was all United’s, and just nine minutes later, the turnaround was complete.
Mason Mount, the man who has struggled to hit the heights since his big-money move, delivered the decisive blow. Another clever free-kick routine saw Fernandes roll the ball into his path, and Mount unleashed a low drive that squeezed through a shaky Palace wall and past former United keeper Dean Henderson (63′).
The strike secured all three points for United, ending their mini-slump and inflicting the first home league defeat on Oliver Glasner’s Palace since February.
The defeat sees Palace slip below United in the table, with the Londoners left to rue a host of missed chances in the first half that could have seen them out of sight.
MAN UTD WINNING WAYS: Amorim’s men show spirit to earn crucial away victory and halt Palace’s impressive run.
