Man Utd Stars Break Two Droughts in Thrilling Comeback Victory Over Crystal Palace

Manchester United delivered a remarkable second-half comeback at Selhurst Park on Sunday, handing Crystal Palace their first home loss of the campaign.

The Red Devils found themselves trailing at the break and rightfully so, but a brilliant Joshua Zirkzee strike, his maiden league goal in 364 days, gave the away side fresh momentum and they quickly reversed their fortunes through a smart Mason Mount effort. There was also opportunity for Lisandro Martínez to make his much-anticipated comeback following nine months out injured.

Palace had come into the match boasting a 12-game home unbeaten streak, while United appeared to be struggling after enduring a shocking loss to Everton at Old Trafford on Monday evening. All of a sudden, the outlook is brighter for Ruben Amorim once more, with his team displaying unusual composure after establishing a 2–1 advantage.

Their victory elevates them to sixth place and past the Eagles in the Premier League standings, who drop to seventh. Oliver Glasner's team continue without a win following Conference League fixtures.

Man Utd Player Ratings vs. Crystal Palace (3-4-2-1)

*Ratings Provided by FotMob*

GK: Senne Lammens—7.0: Officially conceded twice from the penalty area, and despite Palace controlling the first half comfortably, Lammens faced relatively few serious tests.

CB: Leny Yoro—6.2: Delivered a superb goal-line clearance early in the match, but an awkward display was highlighted by his penalty concession. Substituted just shy of the hour.

CB: Matthijs de Ligt—6.9: Troubled by Mateta initially and needed time to settle. Solid when United were required to protect their advantage.

CB: Luke Shaw—7.3: Made some outstanding recovery tackles in the first period, and generally looked confident when defending aggressively.

RWB: Amad Diallo—7.4: The entire right flank was slow to get going, with the Ivorian finding it difficult to link up with Bryan Mbeumo until after halftime.

CM: Casemiro—7.8: Squandered United's two clearest first-half opportunities, and was quiet in possession. Composed performance after the break with added intensity.

CM: Bruno Fernandes—8.8: These were two intelligent assists from the captain, who cleverly found a method to pull his team back into contention.

LWB: Diogo Dalot—7.4: Provided some drive with his forward runs, but his impact in the attacking third was limited. Dalot was a valuable physical asset, however, and won most of his battles.

RF: Bryan Mbeumo—6.9: Struggled in the opening half, with few things working out, but found more success later as he finally began to combine with Amad. Their link-up play was smooth.

LF: Mason Mount—8.3: Mount has delivered solid performances when given opportunities this season, and he maximized his starting chance here. The English midfielder proved to be the decisive factor.

ST: Joshua Zirkzee—8.1: Still appears somewhat off the pace, but his goal was expertly executed, and he showed several moments of effective hold-up play.

Subs not used: Altay Bayındır (GK), Ayden Heaven, Tyrell Malacia, Manuel Ugarte, Shea Lacey.

Crystal Palace (3-4-2-1)

Starting XI: Dean Henderson; Chris Richards, Maxence Lacroix, Marc Guéhi; Daniel Muñoz, Adam Wharton, Daichi Kamada, Tyrick Mitchell; Ismaïla Sarr, Yeremy Pino; Jean-Philippe Mateta.

Subs used: Eddie Nketiah, Christantus Uche, Will Hughes, Jefferson Lerman, Justin Devenny

Player of the Match: Bruno Fernandes

Crystal Palace 1–2 Man Utd: How It Unfolded at Selhurst Park

Man Utd were looking to bounce back to winning form on an unusual Sunday midday kickoff at a venue where they haven't triumphed since 2020.

Ruben Amorim, coming off a humbling home loss to Everton, went up against a coach who has demonstrated that the 3-4-2-1 formation can work in the Premier League, but both tacticians' versions of the system differ, and that was clear throughout.

United might have grabbed an early advantage, but Casemiro couldn't lift a messy attempt over former Red Devil Dean Henderson. The Brazilian midfielder then nodded wide from a dead ball situation, but that represented the peak of the visitors' first-half performance.

Palace should have been several goals ahead before they finally broke the deadlock from the spot. Jean-Philippe Mateta had previously wasted a golden opportunity that fell to him, shooting wide of Senne Lammens's goal, but the French striker was clinical from twelve yards, having been fouled by Leny Yoro after collecting Adam Wharton's exquisite through ball.

Jean-Philippe Mateta is loving life under Oliver Glasner. pic.twitter.com/CyJVLuQisN

However, a double contact with his initial successful attempt required a retake, but Mateta fooled Lammens again to give the home team a well-earned lead.

To discover a path back into the match, United needed to break down a defense that hadn't been breached in the Premier League since former Eagle Eberechi Eze scored for Arsenal at the end of October.

Nevertheless, Palace were caught off guard at the beginning of the second half by an outstanding Zirkzee finish, with the Dutch striker getting ahead of Daichi Kamada from a smart dead ball delivery. He had plenty of work to do after controlling the ball, choosing an audacious finish, but his powerful left-footed shot was precise and defeated Henderson.

That energized the previously dormant Red Devils, and their comeback was sealed shortly afterward. Another dead ball situation, but another superb finish. This time, Mount capitalized on a poor Palace defensive wall to beat Henderson from just beyond the box.

In control, United enjoyed their finest spell of the match in the following period, with Palace, now confronting a revitalized Red Devils that pressed intensely around the Selhurst Park pitch without the ball, unable to regain any initiative.

The comeback of Lisandro Martínez was meaningful, considering that United fans haven't witnessed the Argentine center-back in action since February. He was given the responsibility of helping the visiting team secure an impressive victory, and they accomplished this comfortably. Palace deteriorated badly in the second half, with Thursday evening's European commitment possibly taking its effect.

Crystal Palace vs. Man Utd Half-Time Statistics

Crystal Palace vs. Man Utd Full Time Statistics