Selhurst Park witnessed a dramatic turnaround on Sunday as Manchester United, spurred by second-half goals from Joshua Zirkzee and Mason Mount, rallied to defeat Crystal Palace 2-1 in a Premier League encounter. The victory sees Manchester United move up the table, leapfrogging Crystal Palace to sit in sixth position.
The match began with Manchester United showing early promise. Casemiro had an opportunity within the first minute, but his close-range effort was thwarted by Crystal Palace's goalkeeper, Dean Henderson. However, it was Crystal Palace who drew first blood in the 36th minute. Jean-Philippe Mateta was brought down in the box by Leny Yoro, resulting in a penalty. Mateta initially converted the penalty, but a VAR review deemed it a double touch, and a retake was ordered. The Frenchman kept his composure and slotted the ball into the opposite corner on the second attempt, giving Crystal Palace the lead.
The second half saw a resurgent Manchester United. In the 54th minute, Bruno Fernandes delivered a lofted free-kick that found Joshua Zirkzee, who controlled the ball expertly before firing a low shot past Henderson and into the net. This goal marked Zirkzee's first Premier League goal in nearly a year. United's comeback was complete just nine minutes later when another Fernandes set-piece was rolled to Mason Mount, whose well-struck shot found its way through a weak Crystal Palace wall and into the near post.
Crystal Palace attempted to respond, but Manchester United managed to maintain control and secure the victory. While Zirkzee and Mount grabbed the headlines with their goals, Bruno Fernandes' contribution was also noteworthy. Fernandes provided the assists for both goals from free-kicks. He now has 56 Premier League assists for United, surpassing Paul Scholes' tally of 55.
The win is a welcome result for Manchester United, especially after their disappointing defeat to Everton. It also eases some of the pressure on manager Ruben Amorim. For Crystal Palace and manager Oliver Glasner, it was a bitter defeat after initially taking the lead.
