Manchester United secured a crucial comeback victory over Crystal Palace, winning 2-1, thanks to a superb creative display led by captain Bruno Fernandes. The Portuguese maestro provided both assists, taking his season total to five in the Premier League—the highest in the league so far.
Both of Fernandes’s assists originated from set-piece routines, proving decisive in turning the match around.
The first was for Joshua Zirkzee, who scored from an incredibly tight angle (54′). For Zirkzee, the strike was a moment of immense relief, ending a monumental 364-day wait for a Premier League goal.
Joshua Zirkzee ended a year-long wait for a goal in @ManUtd‘s victory at Selhurst Park 📈
Learn more about how they turned it around to defeat Crystal Palace 👇
— Premier League (@premierleague) November 30, 2025
His last successful effort was a brace against Everton in December 2024, snapping a 24-game league appearance run without scoring.
Fernandes’s second assist was a clever free-kick routine for Mason Mount (63′). Instead of shooting, the captain pushed the ball quickly to set Mount up perfectly for a powerful shot from the edge of the penalty area that clinched the win.
Seven of Man Utd’s 10 Premier League away goals this season have been from set-pieces.
A Game of Two Halves
United’s poor first-half performance saw them concede the opener to Jean-Philippe Mateta via a penalty. Curiously, Mateta’s initial attempt had to be retaken after an unintentional double-touch violation, but he successfully converted the subsequent kick (36′).
The sluggish display had many concerned that United would end November winless across four Premier League games, but the team fought back vigorously after the break.
For Palace, this marked their third league defeat of the season. Intriguingly, all three of their Premier League losses this term have immediately followed a midweek European fixture, suggesting fatigue played a factor.
Manager Ruben Amorim credited tactical adjustments and fighting spirit for the second-half resurgence:
“It was small details that helped. The pace and intensity was better in the second half. I could see that Palace were getting tired at the end of the first half and knew they would suffer if we scored.
“We went on to control the game well away from our goal and in the opposition half. We controlled the game well but just have to be careful about what we did in the first half.”
