No Premier League team has fallen behind 1-0 less frequently than Palace this season, yet they nearly conceded within the opening minute here.

Diogo Dalot’s long throw caused chaos in the Eagles’ penalty area, forcing Dean Henderson to rush out and block Casemiro’s close-range shot brilliantly.

The Brazilian then missed a header from a Bruno Fernandes free-kick, but United’s attacking threat was brief in the first half, with the low winter sun glaring into their defenders’ eyes, causing some defensive discomfort.

Jean-Philippe Mateta capitalized on mistakes by Matthijs de Ligt and Leny Yoro to create two chances for himself, though he missed both, while Senne Lammens was alert to save weak shots from Daichi Kamada and Adam Wharton.

The home side’s pressure grew, and although Yoro heroically blocked Yeremy Pino’s volley from close range, he soon became the culprit by fouling Mateta and conceding a penalty.

Palace’s key player converted the spot-kick initially, but due to a double touch, the penalty was retaken; he scored again by sending Lammens the wrong way both times.

This marked his seventh successful penalty in as many league attempts, bringing his league goal total to 17 in 2025 — only Erling Haaland has scored more — and put Oliver Glasner’s team ahead at halftime deservedly.

The signs were not promising for United, who had failed to score in their previous four league matches against Palace, but they returned from halftime revitalized.

They took under 10 minutes in the second half to level through Joshua Zirkzee, ending a 24-game league goal drought with an excellent volley from a tight angle at the near post after a pass from Fernandes.

Set pieces were United’s most effective weapon all afternoon, and another one shortly after the hour mark completed their comeback.

Fernandes delivered a free-kick layoff to Mason Mount, who fired a shot beneath a scattered Palace wall into the near post, sparking wild celebrations among the away fans.

The responsibility then shifted to Palace to try for a late comeback, but the visitors managed the closing moments well, securing only their second away league victory in 12 attempts, and just their fourth in their last 27 league visits to London.

This was an ideal response for Ruben Amorim’s squad after a tough loss to Everton last week, but Palace have now lost 2-1 after leading in consecutive matches, marking their first home defeat to United since July 2020.

Flashscore Man of the Match: Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United)

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