JOSE’S ROCKET
‘Childish’ United come back from dead after boss’s half-time rant
a foul- mouthed dressing- room blast from Jose mourinho inspired manchester united’s miraculous comeback against Crystal Palace last night.
having gone 2-0 down, united fought back to snatch three points in injury time with a stunning strike by Nemanja matic (right), his first goal for the club.
the result means united leapfrog liverpool into second place before the rivals meet on Saturday.
mourinho confessed to letting rip at his players at half-time, when they were 1-0 down, and was livid when they were then caught out by a quick free-kick that saw Patrick van aanholt run free to score a second.
‘ that disgraceful, childish second goal changed every- thing,’ said mourinho. ‘But the players kept an amazing attitude.
‘I cannot tell you half of the things I told my team at half-time because there would be lots of bleeping on television.
‘there were a few strong
words at half-time relating to the players’ attitude and the intensity of the game.’ Andros Townsend opened the scoring after 11 minutes when his shot took a deflection off Victor Lindelof. And Palace looked on course for their first win against United in a league game since May 1991 when Van Aanholt scored the second. But Chris Smalling’s header gave the visitors hope before Romelu Lukaku levelled matters with 14 minutes left. Matic then sealed United’s comeback and all three points with a dipping strike from over 25 yards. It meant Palace missed out on a chance to move out of the relegation zone. ‘To come back from 2-0 down away from home against a team that is desperate for points, it gives us a great feeling,’ said Mourinho. ‘It’s a remarkable comeback, but we made mistakes. The first goal is a bad goal. We started badly once more, not pressing the ball or the opponent and giving them much space. ‘In the second half we were all expecting a direct comeback, and then we concede a goal that is a good goal to show the kids in the academies in the country. It shows top players can concede silly goals. ‘But then the attitude, the intensity, the quality, the dynamic, the risk were fantastic.’ In contrast, Palace manager Roy Hodgson couldn’t hide his disappointment. ‘My feelings? Sadness. Total sadness,’ said the former England manager. ‘I saw a group of players give their all for the club, for their team-mates. To come away with nothing, I feel very sad for them. ‘At the moment we are in the zone, but not relegated. We were eight points adrift, and now we’re one point adrift. I don’t need convincing that the team has qualities.’