Peter Crouch was full of praise for one of Manchester United’s goalscorers during his post-match analysis of their 2-1 victory over Crystal Palace, but believes the striker can offer even more to Rúben Amorim’s team.
After a disappointing result, losing 1-0 at home to ten-man Everton, a better performance matched with three points was imperative for Manchester United. In recent years, United’s record at Selhurst Park has been poor, and when Jean-Philippe Mateta put Palace ahead from the spot, it looked like that form would continue.
However, the Reds started the second half strong, and they soon got themselves level in the 54th minute courtesy of Joshua Zirkzee. The Dutchman has struggled for minutes this season, and a Utd exit has looked likely, but an injury to new signing Benjamin Šeško has gifted him an opportunity in the starting eleven. With his first goal of the season, he may have finally kick-started his Man Utd career.
Less than ten minutes after Zirkzee evened things up, United added their second to turn the scoreline around. A clever, quick-taken free kick by Bruno Fernandes set Mason Mount to capitalise on a dysfunctional Crystal Palace wall, and his shot snuck past former Red, Dean Henderson, to give Utd the lead.
They managed to hold on for the remainder of the second half, giving them a huge three points against an impressive side. Although the first 45 minutes were worrying, Rúben Amorim clearly fixed some issues during the break, and his team looked rejuvenated in the second half. This result pushes his side up to 6th as of now and could be the start of a positive run of games.
Crouch impressed with Zirkzee
During his analysis of the match on TNTSports, ex-Liverpool and Tottenham striker Peter Crouch discussed Joshua Zirkzee’s performance. Zirkzee played as the striker with the absence of Šeško and proved his quality with a brilliant and important goal.
“I said at halftime. I just want more from him… He walked past us; I look at the size of him and I think, you can bully defenders. Mateta was doing it in the first half, and Zirkzee wasn’t.
“He is a frustration at times because there is a player in there somewhere, and I think he can, with Bruno Fernandes’ deliveries as well, I think he can get on the end of it a little bit more. Some of his hold-up play needs to be a little bit better,” Crouch said.
Crouch was also very impressed by Zirkzee’s goal, which was a clinical left-footed strike from a difficult angle.
“This was fantastic. It was obviously from the training ground because Bruno knew exactly where he was going to be. He actually found himself offside, Zirkzee, you see here. Way offside and it’s a great place to be because the defenders can’t get hold of you, they can’t get hold of your shirt, they can’t muscle you.”
He said, “You can make that run kind of almost free, really and what he did here was he took his time. I mean, this isn’t a goal from a player who hasn’t scored in a year, you know, because he lets it bounce a couple of times, takes his time and what a finish.”
A favourable run of fixtures ahead
The defeat to Everton left the fans disappointed, especially with the performance lacking lots of quality all over the pitch. The result saw United’s short-lived unbeaten run come to an end, and hopes were not high with a trip to Selhurst Park fast approaching.
Man Utd’s second-half performance managed to turn the tide, and with a few favourable fixtures ahead of them, the atmosphere feels much more positive compared to last week. West Ham and Wolves will not be easy games, and Utd’s inconsistency could creep in again, but the two have struggled so far this season and are good opportunities for Utd to build momentum.
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The team will be preparing for a busy December, which will hopefully include many wins for Amorim’s side. The volume of fixtures within this period could see Amorim rotate his team more than usual, which will give players like Zirkzee more opportunities to prove themselves and contribute to the team.
To give themselves the best chance of a high finish at the end of the season, results like today need to build momentum for Amorim’s side. Oliver Glasner has built a top Crystal Palace team, so a win against them away from home should give the team confidence.
A busy month will provide more opportunities for the likes of Zirkzee, Kobbie Mainoo and others who have struggled to break into the team. The Netherlands international took his opportunity today by getting on the scoresheet, and hopefully, more squad members can follow suit to help the team continue to improve.
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