Manchester United down Crystal Palace 2-1 in Premier League: Stats
What's the story
Manchester United returned back to winning ways in the Premier League after a three-game winless run. The Red Devils earned a hard-fought 2-1 win over Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park on Sunday. Jean-Philippe Mateta scored from the penalty spot in the 1st half, handing Palace the lead. The visitors then changed things in the 2nd half with goals from Joshua Zirkzee and Mason Mount.
1st half
Mateta's penalty the difference in the 1st half
Mateta's 36th-minute penalty separated the two sides at the break. The Red Devils started the game well and mustered a few shots. However, hosts Palace grew into the contest and got a deserving goal. Ruben Amorim's men weren't up to their best and could have suffered more. Palace had an xG of 1.70 in the 1st half with the visitors keeping more possession (61%).
2nd half
What happened in the 2nd half?
Zirkzee leveled the scores with a well-taken goal. Bruno Fernandes' superb set-piece floated into the direction of Zirkzee saw the Dutchman chest the ball down and thump the ball into the net. In the 63rd minute, Mount benefited from Fernandes' free-kick as he struck the ball low into the bottom left corner.
Duo
Fernandes races to 56 Premier League assists
Playing his 208th Premier League match, Fernandes has raced to 56 assists. He also owns 64 goals. In the 2025-26 season, the Portuguese midfielder has clocked 5 assists (G2) from 13 Premier League appearances. As per Opta, Fernandes now has more PL assists for Manchester United than Paul Scholes (55). Only Ryan Giggs (162), Wayne Rooney (93), and David Beckham (80) have provided more.
Zirkzee
4th goal for Zirkzee in the Premier League
Zirkzee has scored his first Premier League goal since scoring a brace against Everton in December 2024, 364 days ago. It ended his run of 24 league appearances without scoring for the Red Devils. In 56 appearances for the club in all competitions, Zirkzee now owns 8 goals. This was his 4th goal in the Premier League.
Information
Mount makes his presence felt
Former Chelsea star Mount scored his 31st Premier League goal, including 4 for Manchester United. This was his 2nd goal of the season for Man United in 11 appearances across competitions. Overall, he has 6 goals for the Red Devils in 58 matches.
Do you know?
Luke Shaw completes 300 appearances for the Red Devils
Manchester United veteran Luke Shaw completed his 300th match for the club. Shaw, who joined the club in the summer of 2014, has looked fit and hungry this season. Over the years, he suffered multiple injury issues. 211 of his appearances have come in PL.
Mateta
Mateta races to 45 Premier League goals
As per Opta, since Oliver Glasner's first Premier League game in charge of Crystal Palace in February 2024, only Erling Haaland (46) and Mohamed Salah (36) have scored more Premier League goals than Mateta (34). Making his 143rd Premier League appearance, Mateta owns 45 goals (A8). This season, he has scored 7 goals from 13 league matches.
Information
A look at the points table
The win sees Amorim's men rise to 6th in the standings. They have 21 points from 13 matches. On the other hand, Palace are 7th with 20 points collected. This was their third defeat this season (W5 D5).
Match stats
A look at the match stats
Palace had an XG of 1.97 compared to Man United's 1.25. The visiting side dominated possession (57%). In terms of touches in the opposition box, Palace had 25 compared to Man United's 18. Palace managed three shots on target from 14 attempts. Amorim's side had six shots on target from 14 attempts.
Do you know?
Fernandes' performance against Palace: By the numbers
As per Squawka, Fernandes had 68 touches versus Palace and completed 35/41 passes. He delivered 9 crosses and had 7 final third entries. He also created 4 chances and made 2 tackles. He had 2 interceptions, 2 clearances and 2 assists.