IT’S A KIND OF MATIC
Wonder strike completes the United comeback
NEMANJA MATIC struck a sensational first goal for Manchester United to cap a stunning fightback.
His side were 2-0 down early in the second half, but Chris Smalling and Romelu Lukaku got them back on level terms. And Matic’s 25-yard stoppagetime volley sealed an epic win.
JOSE MOURINHO clenched his fists, celebrated and then went straight back to looking angry again.
His men had somehow stolen victory from the jaws of defeat, Nemanja Matic completing Manchester United’s fightback in stunning fashion in injury time.
But Mourinho will know this was as lucky as it gets. United were awful in the first half, often outfought and yet, in their finest traditions, grabbed a win in the dying moments.
Roy Hodgson was left shaking his head in despair having seen Crystal Palace kiss goodbye to a two-goal lead, defeat leaving them stuck in the relegation zone.
United could have been expected to have consigned their grey kit to history long before now bearing in mind the bad luck it seems to bring.
It was 22 years ago that Sir Alex Ferguson ditched the shirts with United 3-0 down at half-time at Southampton and, since bringing back a grey strip this season, they have lost at Basel and Bristol City in it.
Not a great omen and, just as at Saints all those years ago, they again seemed colour blind, struggling to find team-mates.
Palace battled and scrapped, never gave the visitors a moment to settle and unnerved them, with centre-halves Victor Lindelof and Chris Smalling particularly vulnerable.
It was always going to be a tall order for Palace with 10 first-teamers injured but they worked hard and got a huge slice of luck after 11 minutes.
Paul Pogba gave away possession, allowing James Tomkins to launch a Palace attack. Luka Milivojevic found Christian Benteke and the Belgium striker held the ball up brilliantly before finding Andros Townsend, whose shot took a wicked deflection off Lindelof and flew into the top corner.
That would have been expected to provoke a reaction from United, but their response was to become increasingly frustrated, Pogba moaning, Alexis Sanchez berating colleagues and Scott McTominay booked for a crude lunge on Patrick van Aanholt.
At times this United side look so average and, while Manchester City are streets ahead of the rest, Mourinho will surely have to spend big again in the summer to bridge the ever widening gap.
He at least showed more ambition in the second half, throwing on Marcus Rashford for McTominay but it got worse for the Reds before it got better.
United switched off at a free-kick, Jeffrey Schlupp took it quickly and Van Aanholt raced forward to beat David de Gea.
The Reds were their way back into the game on 55 minutes when Antonio Valencia put a cross into the box, Tomkins played everyone onside and Smalling, in yards of space, headed home.
They were level on 76 minutes when Alexis Sanchez’s shot bounced back off the bar and Lukaku fired home through a scrum of defenders. Matic sealed it from 30 yards.