Crystal Palace 2 Manchester United 3: Nemanja Matic late screamer completes rousing comeback

This was a stunning comeback from Manchester United. Stunning because it was so improbable, ­stunning because it was ultimately undeserved, stunning because Nemanja Matic was the match-winner with a brilliant half-volley in injury-time – his first goal for the club – and stunning because Jose Mourinho simply went for it.

The furious United manager threw on more and more attacking players as he chased a game in which relegation-threatened Crystal Palace surged into a two-goal lead. At that point, if they had held on, they would have climbed up to 13th place. By the end they were still in the bottom three. No wonder their players slumped to the turf, spent, at the final whistle.

Mourinho deserves credit for the result which lifted his team back into second place and, more importantly, opened up a nine-point lead over his former club, Chelsea, who are in fifth. With nine games to go that is a daunting advantage to overhaul in the race to finish in the top four and secure Champions League football.

Mourinho acknowledged his team’s spirited comeback but, also, that they were lucky, castigating the childish way they had played at times. It summed up how disjointed and topsy-turvy they are as, even in victory, they were indebted again to goalkeeper David de Gea, who made another world-class save to scoop out a Christian Benteke header at 2-2. 

“So many mistakes,” Mourinho said. Maybe it will be a watershed night. But it did not feel like it.

It was, though, the first game in four years that United had come from 2-0 down in the league to win. But this was not a vintage performance and merely confirmed that Mourinho has a real job on his hands to try to get the best out of his two big-name players. 

It was not a good evening for Paul Pogba or Alexis Sanchez. Pogba made mistake after mistake and failed to have any impact. Quite where Sanchez was supposed to be playing was unclear. He was, quite literally, all over the place. 

So United got out of jail. The television pundit Jamie Redknapp had called Chelsea’s performance against Manchester City on Sunday “a crime against football” and there was more than an element of wrongdoing about the way United played for 55 minutes. They were abject against a depleted team who simply appeared to want it more and who grabbed an early lead.

The opening goal came as Luka Milivojevic slid the ball to Benteke, who checked and rolled it across the face of the penalty area, where it was met by Andros Townsend with a first-time, left-footed shot. The ball took a heavy deflection off Victor Lindelof, wrong-footing De Gea. If that was unlucky for United then it certainly was not unfortunate that Townsend had not been tracked by Pogba, while Lindelof had turned his back on the shot.

Before that, Wayne Hennessey had saved from Jesse Lingard, whose header had struck the Palace goalkeeper in the face, but the game was going away from United. They were passive, pedestrian and lacking any impetus. 

Is Jose Mourinho the man to solve the Paul Pogba puzzle?

Mourinho slumped in his seat and stung his players at half-time, re-emerging long before they did as he replaced Scott McTominay with Marcus Rashford.

But before the change could have an effect, Palace scored again. Once more it was a shocking concession, with Matic penalised for a foul on Benteke. As he protested to referee Neil Swarbrick, and as Chris Smalling stood watching, Jeffrey Schlupp took a quick free-kick that released Patrick van Aanholt clear on goal. The full-back held his nerve and thumped a powerful shot beyond De Gea. Mourinho was furious.

Once more the noise from the Palace fans was raucous but, crucially, their team could not hold out long enough. Had they managed to do so for more than seven minutes then this result could have been ­different but, instead, a corner was only half-cleared and Smalling met Antonio Valencia’s cross to steer his header back across Hennessey and into the goal. James Tomkins had erred, slow to come out, playing Smalling onside.

It changed the dynamic. United had time, and more replacements, with Juan Mata and Luke Shaw coming on to form an even more aggressive, attacking formation. 

Still, they needed a slice of luck and it came as Martin Kelly threw himself to block a Sanchez shot, with the ball ballooning up before it rebounded off a post. It was collected by Lukaku, who calmly took his time before placing a low shot past Hennessey. Palace rallied, De Gea denied Benteke and then, in the 91st minute, and after Benteke had cleared a Matic shot off the line, the ball dropped again to the United midfielder. 

He was 30 yards out, but his angled half-volley, as Milivojevic failed to close him down, flew beyond Hennessey. United had their win. But it was tough on Palace.

9:56PM

Not bad going from Telegraph Sport's columnist!

9:54PM

Full time: Crystal Palace 2 Manchester United 3

A vintage United result, if not a vintage United performance. van Arnholt, who was excellent, slumps to the turf. Match report from a super comeback coming right up.

9:53PM

90+ mins

That came in stoppage time, Palace have a little bit of time, but not really. De Gea has a freekick from very deep, Palace cannot get hold of the ball and soon enough the referee has blown the final whistle.

9:52PM

GOAL! MANCHESTER UNITED! MATIC!

Oh that is a wonderful strike, Matic picks the ball up outside the box. Mata leading the attack, but it pings to Matic who swings a boot at it and gets some vicious late away swing. It curls away from Hennessey, giving him no chance, and that is a total sickener for Mr Roy and Company.

9:50PM

Shaw show

9:49PM

88 mins

Townsend giving his all, battling, shoots but it is blocked. Palace come again, but lose it, and here is a chance to break for MUFC. Rashford, slides it to Mata, who races onto the ball. Good keeping from Hennessey!

9:46PM

85 mins

Mourinho has fallen over! Not looking for a penalty, I mean - he has actually fallen over. He sees the funny side, it's all rather sweet. Meanwhile, the hapless Lindelof has fouled Benteke, but the freekick comes to little.

9:44PM

84 mins

Oh, Mourinho's perked up, off the bench to do a bit of chivvying. Enjoyable game this. Quality is low but then who cares about that? This. Is. England.

9:42PM

81 mins

Riedewald slides it across, McArthur meets it at full tilt but cannot get the direction on the shot.

9:41PM

80 mins

Anybody's game now.  If you get a chance to see that De Gea save... well, you will not be sorry.

9:38PM

76 mins

And United stay on terms, thanks to a heroic save from De Gea. The ball is played in, Benteke meets it with a meaty beaty big and bouncy leap and he has headed that at goal. De Gea somehow claws it away, a Banksian piece of goalkeeping.

9:36PM

GOAL! MAN UNITED! LUKAKU!

Sickener! The ball is cracked at goal by Sanchez, deflected onto the bar, breaks to Lukaku in the area, he cannot get it out from under his feet but Palace stand off as if frozen, panicked. Tackle him! Bring him down, Legolas! But they don't, they just wait, and wait, and eventually the big lad thumps the ball into the net. United are back on terms

9:34PM

73 mins

Andros has been booked for timewasting as he tries to kick the ball away. A mere 16 minutes plus stoppages to come! 

9:33PM

72 mins

And one of them has dropped to Matic, who has drilled a shot at the goal. Benteke with the hero clearance on the line!

9:32PM

71 mins

Valencia off, Young off. Luke Shaw on, Mata on. Mata is soon involved in a spate of corner taking.

9:25PM

65 mins

van Arn with a ball to the back stick, it hangs in the air as Benteke is wheeled into position. CLANG! He heads it. Wide.

9:22PM

61 mins

Wan-Bissaka with a brilliantly timed tackle. He has been excellent. Denied Rashford as he raced onto a nice ball from Pog.

9:22PM

60 mins

Mr Roy turns to his bench and finds... an old duffle coat? Some Trebor mints? Not too sure how he can shake this up but Palace need something.

van Arnholt looks their boy most likely, cracking another shot.

9:18PM

57 mins

All United at the moment, Palace suddenly look like what they are: a badly depleted relegation struggler. It's all hands to the pump as they hack clear.

Moment of respite when Young is booked for fouling McArthur

9:15PM

GOAL! MAN UNITED 

Ah, that is a shame. Palace had been defending well, but they don't clear this corner properly and it drops to Valenica. The Palace defenders totally fail to step up, Tomkins is dozing.... Valencia chips it in and Smalling has all the time in the world to nod it home. Failure of organisation.

9:12PM

52 mins

From that corner, Smalling heads over.

9:12PM

51 mins

Rashford has been the sole bright spot. He looks very bright and lively, but rookie fullback Wan-Bissaka does well again to snuff it out.

Corner...

9:08PM

GOAL! PALACE!

I was going to say that it had been a much better start to the half from United but they're now two down! And they only have themselves to blame. Palace get a freekick, Schlupp slips it quickly to van Arnholt while United are still daydreaming. He races down the left, unimpeded, and smashes it past de Gea at the near post! Scenes.

9:06PM

46 mins

Sanchez out on the right, he picks out Rashford on the left with a crossfield ball. Nice dink into the area, but he's stopped by Wan-Bissaka with a fine recovery tackle.

9:05PM

That tunnel guard

looks nails! but he, and everyone else, has a bit of a bemused appearance about him as everyone waits for the players to emerge.

Oh dear, we have definitely commentator cursed poor wee McTominay. Played like a drain, booked, and has now had the hook at half time! Marcus Rashford is the new man.

8:59PM

And the burns keep coming

8:58PM

Happy, happy days, I would call it

8:49PM

Half time: Crystal Palace 1 Manchester United 0

Well, not a classic. Palace doing an admirable job. United pretty rotten. Presumably they will raise their level after half time?

8:47PM

45 mins

Talking of Ashley Young, he's on the turf here after banging heads with Milivojevic. Both guys okay to carry on.

8:46PM

Young gunned

8:45PM

44 mins

Surely, surely United cannot be this wretched after the half. Mourinho with the showy triple sub?

8:43PM

41 mins

HOOTS! Scott McTominay with a dreadful tackle, arms and legs flailing everywhere. Booked.

Patrick v A the man who enjoyed a brief flight through the air. 

8:41PM

39 mins

Palace flap about at the back, give it away. Lingard has a shot from outside the area, but never causing any problems.

8:41PM

Das Nigelshcrowdensing

8:39PM

36 mins

Pogba playing like he cost 98 p not 98 million. Hoofs it aimlessly.

Sanchez has shaken off his injury and is now in familiar drama queen mode, glaring histrionically at his colleagues

8:37PM

Duelling banjos

8:35PM

Pre game

The fever

8:32PM

30 mins

Palace can be really proud of themselves so far. Physical and imposing up front, defending as a unite and stepping up nicely when Benteke has it and looks to play others in. 

Sanchez has had a knock.

8:26PM

24 mins

United gradually waking up. 9082340 million dollar man Paul Pogba is allowed to get out of his own penalty box for once, and cracks a shot at goal. Wayne h makes more of a meal of it than he might of.

8:20PM

17 mins

Now Sorloth bullies a sluggish Matic into giving him the ball. Shoots straight at the keeper.

Sanchez and Lukakau with a nice move, good intervention from van Arners saves the day.

8:20PM

16 mins

United giving the ball away - Pogba. Corner, Matic has to hack it clear. United need to get their heads in the game here.

8:19PM

15 mins

United are all over the place. 

8:13PM

GOAL! PALACE! TOWNSEND!!

A bit of a nothing start to the match, but never mind about that right now. Ball is played forward to Benteke in the inside left channel, he holds the ball up nicely, and plays it inside to Townsend. Townsend has a go, it takes a bison of a deflection off Lindelof - who appears to be confused about what they're actually doing down here - and it gives DDG no chance whatsoever.

8:08PM

6 mins

Palace's turn to go beddy byes as they allow Sanchez the freedom of the area. Plants his header straight at Hennessey

8:07PM

5 mins

Absolutely village stuff here as Van A slaps a pass vaguely in the  direction of the goal and Lindelof panics and hacks at it. Corner.

Ball's delivered in. Pogba has been given Tomkins to mark but decides he's too big in the biz for that caper, and just lets his man wander off. Tomkins tries a spectacular effort. Naaaah.

8:03PM

3 mins

Valencia has poked van Aanholt in the face. The player is in some pain. Not as much pain, surely, as he is making out. But some pain nonetheless.

8:01PM

1 mins

The Nigels kick off. The ball is launched long. Sorloth's first action is to barge Pogba.

8:00PM

Big night

for Sorloth of Palace, lot of attacking onus on his shoulders. He's a lovely big boy from Norway who is wearing number nine, which is nine more than the number of goals he has scored for Palace.

7:57PM

Jamie Carragher

"No matter how well you were playing, no matter where you were in the League, you never looked forward to Palace away. Tight pitch, crowd on top of you."

7:56PM

Gary Neville

"I always felt with Selhurst Park, you wanted to get in there, do  a job, and get out of there as quickly as possible. It was never a game you enjoyed. Either Palace or Wimbledon, lots of long ball, lots of elbows."

7:54PM

Shane is correct in all departments

The right-thinking person desires only a Palace win, and possibly some form of exotic bird training. Let us see if these two teams can serve up one, both or most probably neither of those outcomes.

7:54PM

A missive arrives

Evening Mr T,

I want Palace to win, please. (I'll see what I can do - AT)

I don't support them, I don't 'support' anyone since Eden Hazard-Warning demonstrated that club loyalty was so, how you young people say, meh.

Anyway, Palace are cool, so cool that their supporters were too busy laughing to batter me when they found me in The Telegraph (it's a pub Palace land) trying to get the Mynah bird to say 'Come On Chelsea'. Happy daze.

Come on Palace!

Cheers,

Shane O'Leary

7:39PM

Very good podcast

from some very good young men.

7:38PM

Important nut update

7:34PM

Let us all take a moment to celebrate

this fashion high point

7:17PM

Scott McTominay starts

just a really terrific bit of newspaper reporting here from James Ducker, the Daily Telegraph's man in Manchester, about the player. Insight, context, contacts, quotes from the people who know the boy.

How Scott McTominay became one of the more unexpected success stories of the Old Trafford talent factory

READ: How Scott McTominay became one of the more unexpected success stories of the Old Trafford talent factory

You don't get this with your BET NOW rubbish or your angry passhunate vlogs. Pretty much everything you want to know about a young feller who steps into one of the most storied positions in British football. Well worth your time, I promise you.

7:14PM

Manchester United side

7:12PM

Crystal Palace side

7:11PM

Team news is in

and you're gonna git it right now

7:07PM

Good evening!

Happy Monday one and all, and especially to anybody who has made the arduous journey down to to SE97654745602 to watch mighty Palace this evening.