Crystal Palace 2-3 Manchester United

Text commentary courtesy of The Guardian, gifs created by yours truly.

GOAL! Crystal Palace 1-0 Manchester United (Townsend 11)

Great play by Benteke. He latches onto a nice pass from Milivojevic, gets one on one with Smalling on the edge of Manchester United’s box, squares the ball to Townsend, who hits it first time, it cannons off Lindelof’s shoulder and flies into the top corner. De Gea didn’t even dive, he was completely wrongfooted. Palace probably just about deserve that lead.

GOAL! Crystal Palace 2-0 Manchester United (Van Aanholt 48)

Benteke is fouled near the half-way line. Van Aanholt had been lurking on the overlap and wasn’t tracked by Valencia, so Benteke simply gets to his feet after the foul, plays a simple through ball and Van Aanholt races through unchallenged and sidefoots the ball inside the near post of De Gea! Palace double their lead! Mourinho is furious! You can lipread him saying “Kick the ball out!” to his players for that free-kick.

GOAL! Crystal Palace 2-1 Manchester United (Smalling 54)

This is terrible defending from Tomkins. Palace had cleared a cross well, with Valencia picking up the loose ball. The Ecuadorian had time to get his head up, and with Tomkins playing two United players onside at the back post, Valencia crosses, with Smalling planting his header across goal into the far corner. Easy finish. So easy in fact that it looked like a training ground goal.

GOAL! Crystal Palace 2-2 Manchester United (Lukaku 76)

That was coming. Pogba and Sanchez show some neat touches on the edge of Palace’s box, the latter crashing a shot at goal. Tomkins gets a half-block in, and the ball spoons up in the air and on top of Hennessey’s crossbar, before bouncing out to Lukaku. The Belgian takes an age to get the ball under control, and has a sea of bodies between him and the goal, but after about six fake-shots, he finally squeezes the ball inside the near post, via a deflection. What a game we have here.

GOAL! Crystal Palace 2-3 Manchester United (Matic 90+2)

Matic wellies this one in from 30 yards! A Mata cross is cleared only as far as Matic, the ball bouncing kindly, and the Serbian puts his laces through it, with his shot slicing away from Hennessey, dipping into the top corner. That is a sensational strike, surely the winner for United!