Key stats
- Bruno Fernandes has assisted five goals in the Premier League this season (two in this game), more than any other player.
- Crystal Palace have lost eight points from winning positions in the Premier League this season; only Newcastle United (nine) and Brentford (11) have lost more.
- Lisandro Martínez made his first Premier League appearance since February (also against Crystal Palace), 301 days ago.
Highlights
Analysis
Bruno Fernandes picked up two assists and an 8.2 Flashscore player rating against Crystal Palace.
The Red Devils made the most of their chances after going behind at Selhurst Park.
Match report
No PL side has gone 1-0 down less often than Palace this season, but they nearly found themselves behind inside the opening minute here.
Diogo Dalot’s long throw wreaked havoc in the Eagles’ box, and Dean Henderson needed to be at his best to rush out and smother Casemiro’s effort from point-blank range.
The Brazilian then headed wide from a Bruno Fernandes free-kick, but United’s threat was fleeting in the first half, with the low winter sun shining in their defenders’ eyes seemingly causing unrest at the back.
Jean-Philippe Mateta benefited from Matthijs de Ligt and Leny Yoro errors to fashion two chances for himself, but dragged both wide, while Senne Lammens was on hand to keep out tame efforts from Daichi Kamada and Adam Wharton.
The hosts’ pressure intensified, and though Yoro was the hero when blocking Yéremy Pino’s close-range volley, he was soon the villain when he tripped Mateta to concede a penalty.
Palace’s talisman converted initially but with the use of a double touch, prompting a retake, but he sent Lammens the wrong way on both occasions.
His seventh successful spot-kick from as many attempts in the PL took his goal tally in the competition to 17 in 2025 - a total bettered only by Erling Haaland - and sent Oliver Glasner’s men into HT with a deserved lead.
The omens certainly weren’t good for a United side that had failed to score in the previous four PL H2Hs, but they emerged from the interval re-energised.
They needed less than 10 minutes of the second half to equalise through Joshua Zirkzee, who ended a 24-game scoring drought in the league with a brilliant volley from an acute angle at the near post after being found by Fernandes.
Set-pieces were the Red Devils’ best outlet all afternoon, and another one just beyond the hour completed the turnaround.
Fernandes laid off a free-kick to Mason Mount, who rifled underneath a dispersed Palace wall and in at the near post to send the away end wild.
The onus therefore switched to Palace to stage a late fightback, but the visitors controlled the closing stages well, seeing out just a second win in 12 away league games, and just a fourth from their last 27 PL trips to London.
It was the perfect response for Ruben Amorim’s men after a bruising defeat to Everton last week, but Palace have now squandered the lead to lose 2-1 in successive matches, with this a first H2H loss on home soil since July 2020.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United)
Post-match comments
Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim to BBC Sport:
"It was small details that helped. The pace and intensity was better in the second half. I could see that Palace were getting tired at the end of the first half and knew they would suffer if we scored.
"We went on to control the game well away from our goal and in the opposition half. We controlled the game well, but just have to be careful about what we did in the first half."
Crystal Palace boss Oliver Glasner to Sky Sports:
"Conceding two goals from set-plays, three of the last four goals being conceded from set-plays. That makes it really frustrating, because I think we played a very good first half, and deserved to have the lead.
"I can't remember a big chance from open play in the whole game.
"We are not fresh enough in many games, and the energy level dropped, but I think we made it just harder for us because we conceded these two goals.
"In the situation we are in now, it looked like it was tough, but I think, at the end, we tried everything."