Matic is Mourinho’s lucky charm
Relief for Jose as Serbian seals a great escape
LONDON — Jose Mourinho admitted Manchester United rode its luck on Monday as Nemanja Matic’s late thunderbolt earned a dramatic 3-2 win at Crystal Palace.
Mourinho’s side fell behind to Andros Townsend’s early opener and Patrick van Aanholt’s second-half effort at Selhurst Park.
But Chris Smalling got one back for United and Romelu Lukaku equalized with 14 minutes remaining.
That set the stage for Serbia midfielder Matic to score for the first time since his move from Chelsea last year with a blistering blast from the edge of the area in stoppage time.
It was an escape that seemed unlikely when United fell 2-0 behind after being outfought and outplayed by a Palace team fighting gamely to avoid relegation.
But Mourinho took heart from the way his players shrugged off their limp first half to move back above Liverpool into second place in the Premier League and within 16 points of runaway leader Manchester City.
The victory was a big boost for United ahead of Saturday’s visit of old rival Liverpool to Old Trafford.
“You always need that little bit of luck to win a match in the last few minutes,” Mourinho said.
“We played very good quality football in the second half but we made so many defensive mistakes.
“That disgraceful, childish second goal changed everything. But the players kept an amazing attitude.
“I cannot tell you half of the things I told my team at halftime because there would be lots of bleeping on television.
“To come back from 2-0 against a home team that is desperate for points, it gives us a great feeling.”
Third-from-bottom Palace, still struggling without the injured Wilfried Zaha, deserved better but remains one point from safety after a heartbreaking loss.
United was punished for its lethargic start in the 11th minute when Christian Benteke was allowed to slip into the United penalty area unchecked by Smalling.
His pass found Townsend 18 yards from the goal, and the Palace winger unleashed a shot that took a wicked deflection off Victor Lindelof as it looped past goalkeeper David De Gea.
With Matic and Paul Pogba rattled by Palace’s relentless pressing, United was unable to match the Eagles’ intensity.
Pogba poor again
The struggling Pogba, dropped several times by Mourinho recently, was a major cause of the visitor’s woes as the midfielder wasted possession and was frequently caught out of position.
The Frenchman was playing so badly that United legend Gary Neville, working for Sky Sports, was moved to say: “It’s like everything he does is like a YouTube or Instagram video.
“It’s like it’s not serious, it’s like a joke to him in terms of the way he goes about things.”
Mourinho kept faith with Pogba, instead sending on Marcus Rashford for Scott McTominay at halftime.
But just three minutes after the break, United was caught cold again.
A quick Jeffrey Schlupp freekick sent Van Aanholt scampering through on goal as United appealed in vain for offside before the Dutchman held his nerve to slot past De Gea for his first goal since May 2017.
Mourinho was raging on the touchline, but Smalling gave United a lifeline in the 55th minute.
The England defender missed a decent chance moments earlier, but he made amends with a clinical header from Antonio Valencia’s cross.
That completely changed the momentum and even Pogba sparked into life as his curler was pushed away by Palace keeper Wayne Hennessey.
Matic almost equalized with a thunderous strike that Benteke cleared off the line, and United’s pressure was finally rewarded in the 76th minute.
Alexis Sanchez’s shot deflected off James Tomkins and fell to Lukaku, who worked himself into position to fire low past Hennessey.
United was relieved, but then needed a brilliant onehanded save from De Gea to keep out a Benteke header. The drama wasn’t over. In stoppage time, Matic stole the points for United, seizing the loose ball on the edge of the Palace area and cracking his strike into the top corner to spark wild celebrations from the visitor.