Hey everyone,
Monday night against Everton, we dominated possession, created nothing, and lost. Yesterday at Selhurst Park, we were battered for 45 minutes, created very little from open play, and won.
Going into this game, the data in our Palace Preview: The 45-Minute Myth, screamed caution. United usually look elite for 45 minutes and then fall apart. Today, we saw the inverse. We were disjointed and lucky to be only 1-0 down at the break, but we came out in the second half and did exactly what we haven't done all season: capitalized on the chaos.
Two major factors swung this game. First, Palace hit the wall, their Thursday night Conference League exertion caught up with them at the 60-minute mark. Second, we stopped playing "handball" around the box and used our set-piece dominance to kill the game.
This wasn't a tactical masterclass. A smash-and-grab against a tired opponent. But in this league, you take the points however they come.
Table of Contents
The Match in Numbers
We lost the xG battle but won the actual game. This is what efficiency looks like when it finally swings your way.
Metric | Crystal Palace | Man United | The Quick Read |
xG | 1.83 | 1.19 | We overperformed our xG (+0.81). Clinical. |
Possession | 44% | 56% | We held the ball and made them chase us. |
Big Chances | 3 | 2 | Lammens kept us in this. |
Shots (On Target) | 14 (2) | 14 (6) | Efficiency. We hit the target 3x more often than them. |
One sentence to describe that win:
Key Stats You Didn't See on TV
1. The "Set-Piece Kings" Narrative We constantly moan about our lack of open-play creativity, but set-pieces are becoming the crutch we lean on.
The Stat: Excluding penalties, Manchester United have now scored the joint-highest number of set-piece goals in the Premier League this season (tied with Arsenal). But look, is this sustainable? We can't rely on dead-ball perfection every week.
The Reality: Both Zirkzee's equalizer (54') and Mount's winner (63') came from set-piece situations involving Bruno Fernandes. When the open-play system fails, set-pieces are bailing us out.
2. The Thursday Night Hangover We predicted the "60-75 Minute" window would be crucial. Usually, that is when Palace capitalize. Today, the fatigue hit Palace.
The Context: Palace played a grueling Conference League game on Thursday.
The Impact: You could see their legs go after the hour mark. Their press vanished and we scored our winner in the 63rd minute, right in the middle of their fatigue zone. We didn't really outplay them tactically, we outlasted them physically.
3. The Bruno Paradox Visually, Bruno Fernandes looked frustrated. He lost possession and forced passes.
The Stat: 2 Assists, 4 Key Passes.
The Context: For comparison, most elite playmakers average 2-3 key passes per game. Even on a 'bad day,' Bruno is the primary engine of this team (and it's not even close). The highest-rated player of the match (8.20) because he provided the only two moments of quality that mattered.
The Tactical Breaking Point
The 54th Minute Stabilization - The game turned on a single minute.
Amorim hauled off Leny Yoro for Noussair Mazraoui at 54'. This wasn't just a rotation, it stabilized the team. Mazraoui immediately calmedthe backline and improved our ball progression. Seconds later, Zirkzee equalized.
Why it mattered: Palace thrive on momentum. By scoring immediately after the sub, we killed the crowd. As Amorim admitted post-match: "We had the feeling that if we score one goal, it’s going to change completely".
Player Ratings & Impact
Joshua Zirkzee (7.8)
Last week we wrote that Zirkzee was "Rusty, Not Ruinous." Today, he looked like a striker with rhythm. He played as a proper #9. He led the line, linked up play and his goal was pure striker's instinct, chest down, swivel, volley. He has earned his spot for West Ham.
Mason Mount (8.0)
That finish. A powerful drive from outside the box that settled the game. Beyond the finish, he offered the aggression in the #10 role that we desperately needed to match Palace's physicality, completing 2 dribbles and winning 1 aerial duel.
Leny Yoro (4.0)
He struggled. He clumsily brought down Mateta for the penalty and looked ponderous on the ball throughout the first half.
Verdict: He is 20 years old, and mistakes will happen, but at this level, you cannot give away cheap penalties in away games. The substitution at 54' was justified. He needs to learn from this quickly. Premier League forwards smell blood, and they'll target him until he proves otherwise.
Final Thoughts
This was not a "good" performance. For 45 minutes, we were disjointed and second-best to every ball.
But good teams find ways to win when they play badly. We survived the first half (our usual strength) and dominated the second half (our usual weakness) largely because Palace ran out of gas.
We move above Palace into 7th place. The table is incredibly tight. We're only 3 points off 2nd. Three points from second. Let that sink in after the week we've had.
The schedule is also about to open up for us:
West Ham (H): Currently struggling in the bottom half.
Wolves (A): Rock bottom, 0 wins all season.
These fixtures give us a shot at top 4, but we can't keep playing like this. We didn't play "perfect" football today, but we played winning football. And right now, that is exactly what we need.