Joe Cole highlighted three stand-out players who he credited with inspiring Man Utd to come from 1-0 down to secure all three points.
Manchester United mounted an impressive comeback on Sunday, overturning a halftime deficit with second-half goals from Joshua Zirkzee and Mason Mount to claim a 2–1 Premier League victory over Crystal Palace.
Both teams threatened early, with Jean-Philippe Mateta and Casemiro forcing chances inside the first ten minutes, though the intense, bright South London sunshine made conditions challenging. Palace soon settled into control and earned a penalty when Leny Yoro brought down Mateta in the area.
Mateta’s initial effort was disallowed for a double touch, but he confidently converted the retake. The hosts continued to press, while United struggled to establish any momentum before the interval.
After the break, United emerged with renewed intent and found their equaliser through Zirkzee. The Dutch striker brought down a Bruno Fernandes free kick on his chest, spun sharply, and squeezed a finish past Dean Henderson from a tight angle.
With half an hour left, a well-worked set piece allowed Mount to put United in front. Palace pushed hard for a late response, but Rúben Amorim’s side held firm to secure a valuable three points.
Fantastic trio lead Man Utd to victory
During the game, regular well-performing players such as Bryan Mbeumo, Yoro and Matthijs de Ligt had rare off games, but speaking on TNT Sports after the game, Joe Cole highlighted another trio of United players that helped inspire their side’s comeback.
“The intensity they came out and played the second half with was fantastic,” the former Chelsea man explaind. “Bruno Fernandes, Casemiro, and Mason Mount, outstanding in there at times. Getting hold of the ball, moving it, they created chances, and looked strong at the back.
“And you have to deal with that, come out on a Sunday morning in south London and play like they did in the second half.
“We’ve criticised them, criticised the manager, but today they deserve all the praise, they were fantastic.”
A solid platform to build from
While there was the belief that Man Utd may have started to turn a corner after last season’s miserable campaign with their recent unbeaten run, last week’s shock 1-0 loss to Everton certainly brought expectations down.
Selhurst Park has been a very difficult place for United to secure a win, with their last league success coming in July 2020, so the win today is all the more impressive, especially considering this is Palace’s first home loss of the season.
It’s clear to see that United rely heavily on confidence to play football at their highest level, as the side instantly looked much better after Zirkzee’s equaliser, which pushed them on to get the winner.
Man Utd now face back-to-back fixtures against two struggling sides in West Ham, who have seen an upturn in performances since Nuno Espírito Santo took charge, and Wolverhampton Wanderers, who are yet to win a game.
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