Man United Pull Off Comeback vs Crystal Palace — Zirkzee Screamer & Mount’s Classy Finish Lift Red Devils to Sixth

Analysis by Hikaru Sakamoto

December 1, 2025, 8:00 p.m. local time

Premier League Matchday 13 saw Crystal Palace host Manchester United

Palace entered the game balancing Premier League duties with the Europa Conference League, yet boasting one of the league’s stingiest defenses with just nine goals conceded and sitting 6th before kick-off. United, without European competition this season, were winless in their last three matches.

Both managers lined up in a 3-4-2-1. Kamada partnered Adam Wharton in midfield, while United continued to start Joshua Zirkzee up front. Palace created the first big chance as Jean-Philippe Mateta went close, and Kamada impressed early with sharp duels and through balls that lifted Selhurst Park.

The breakthrough came in the 32nd minute when Mateta was fouled inside the box. His first penalty was retaken, but he kept his nerve and converted again to put Palace ahead. United threatened before halftime, with Luke Shaw denying Eddie Nketiah with a desperate block.

United took control after the restart. In the 54th minute, Zirkzee smashed in the equalizer from a set piece, rifling a left-footed rocket inside the near post. Nine minutes later, Bruno Fernandes nudged a free kick sideways, and Mason Mount blasted home the go-ahead goal — a clinical comeback powered entirely by dead-ball situations.

Lisandro Martínez returned from long-term injury in the 82nd minute, making his first appearance since February. Palace pushed late, but United’s compact 5-4-1 block held firm to secure a 2–1 away win.

Next fixtures: Palace travel to Burnley on December 3, while United host West Ham.

Scoreline
Crystal Palace 1–2 Manchester United

Goals:
1–0 Mateta (PK, 36’)
1–1 Zirkzee (54’)
1–2 Mount (63’)

The Bigger Picture

The emotions surrounding this match split clearly in two directions.
For Manchester United supporters, there was long-awaited relief and genuine excitement.
For Crystal Palace fans, the feeling was far more familiar — a sense of self-inflicted collapse.

From United’s side, this was a win defined more by meaning than by performance.
Short rest, a tough away trip to Selhurst Park, falling behind and then turning the game around.
Joshua Zirkzee’s thunderous equaliser and Mason Mount’s decisive strike carried an element of chaos, but they flipped the match all the same.

Sixth place is now a reality.
Under Ruben Amorim, the structure is still incomplete, but results are finally starting to stack up — and United supporters are embracing that momentum without hesitation.

Palace fans, meanwhile, saw a different story.
Daichi Kamada and Adam Wharton controlled the game early, and Jean-Philippe Mateta functioned well up front in the first half.
After the break, however, Palace struggled against the press, lost their ability to hold the ball, conceded from unnecessary fouls, and unraveled in a way that felt all too familiar.

Fan Reactions

Manchester United Fans

• Finally a win. That alone matters.
• The performance was poor, but a win is a win.
• Belief in Amorim finally feels rewarded.
• Beating Palace on short rest but struggling against ten-man Everton sums up this club perfectly.
• Suddenly, sixth place feels real.
• A massive result for the Champions League race.
• Zirkzee’s once-a-season rocket arrived at exactly the right moment.
• Mount lasting 90 minutes — and scoring — feels like a miracle.
• Winning away at Palace is huge. Zirkzee and Mount delivered when it mattered.
• Bruno Fernandes quietly walked away with two assists.
• Lisandro Martínez being back allows Shaw to play LWB again — a huge plus.
• The pressing up front is clearly improved. We no longer look like conceding four every week.
• Actually surviving the second half instead of collapsing feels new.
• Even if both goals came from set-piece chaos, a comeback win is still a win.

Crystal Palace Fans

• Kamada was excellent, but someone else stole the spotlight.
• One substitution can completely weaken this team — and it keeps happening.
• The moment Bruno started roaming and picking passes, it was over. Kamada and Wharton faded.
• Pino is lethal in the box, but everything else feels rushed.
• This was the first time Kamada actually received a proper final ball.
• Panic against the press, endless long balls — a classic self-destruct Palace loss.
• Mateta wasn’t the problem. He was isolated with no return options.
• Kamada should’ve been pushed into the shadow role instead of bringing on Nketiah.
• Honestly, dropping the Conference League and focusing on the league makes sense.

What Remains

What remains for United is a sense of calm confidence.
Nothing about this win was perfect, and the goals may not be repeatable — but the team held firm and finished the job.

Mount ran himself into the ground, Bruno made the difference, and Martínez returned.
Seeing those pieces together again is a genuine positive.

For Palace, the takeaway is the clarity of their problems.
Strong first halves that don’t carry over.
Substitutions that disrupt momentum.
An attack that stalls the moment Kamada and Wharton disappear.

The same 90 minutes produced two very different aftertastes.
That contrast is exactly why this match will linger — not as a spectacle, but as a defining moment for both sides.

Source:
sky sports
https://www.skysports.com/football/c-palace-vs-man-utd/live/531252?utm_source=chatgpt.com