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MOTD: Crystal Palace 1-2 Manchester United

By on May 9, 2015

Juan Mata scored a penalty; Crystal Palace caught United’s defense off guard to equalize; David de Gea made multiple incredible saves; and Marouane Fellani scored the winner via a header. In all, it was the story of Manchester United’s season. De Gea kept an underwhelming United side in the game, and, in part because of a goalkeeping error from Julian Speroni, United won. “Football, bloody hell,” Sir Alex Ferguson might say. Louis van Gaal worded it differently — “football is crazy” — but to the same tune.

They took a fantastical (indeed crazy was apt) route, but found light at the end of the tunnel. Not that Van Gaal will mind United’s performance much, as they set out to get the three points and all but secure Champions League qualification. A bad performance was masked by a vital win. United can worry about actually playing like a Champions League team at some future date. Tonight, United can sit back and relax. The journey is nearly over.

Although United have struggled up front throughout the season, today they created plentiful chances and finished well. Their possession stats lie — Crystal Palace interrupted United’s flow and at times, even pinned their visitors back. In one sixteen minute period in the second half, Jason Puncheon scored for Palace via an audacious near-post free-kick, James McArthur fired a brilliant outside-of-the-foot effort just wide of the post, De Gea somehow denied Mile Jedinak from point-blank-range, and Wilfried Zaha saw his sweetly struck volley kicked away by the Spanish goalkeeper. Soon afterwards, Damien Delaney fired a wild volley over from a good position. United were undoubtedly rattled after Puncheon’s goal.

However, they were also very effective on the break. Ashley Young was perhaps the man of the match, winning United’s first-half penalty — the Englishman bursting past two defenders down the left wing before his cross was blocked by the hand of Scott Dann — then also assisting Fellaini’s winner. Seventy-four minutes in, Young nutmegged Dann down the left, then fired a low effort across goal, deflecting inches wide of the far post. Not five minutes later, the winger again got by Dann down the left and cut a low cross back into the mixer, only for Juan Mata to fire over from six yards.

It could have been Mata’s second, given he had already buried the penalty Young won in the seventeenth minute, a single goal that may turn out to be pivotal in United’s season. Forget the faults of United’s team — Champions League qualification is now very much in sight. It was touch and go during the second half today, but nobody ever said it would be easy.
Man of the Match: David de Gea

Homepage photo credit: postproduktie.nl

About Alex Morgan

Alex Morgan, founder of Football Every Day, lives and breaths football from the West Coast of the United States in California. Aside from founding Football Every Day in January of 2013, Alex has also launched his own journalism career and hopes to help others do the same with FBED. He covers the San Jose Earthquakes as a beat reporter for QuakesTalk.com and his work has also been featured in the BBC's Match of the Day Magazine.