Thursday 15 December 2016 09:32, UK
Manchester United beat Crystal Palace 2-1 on Wednesday in an action-packed clash at Selhurst Park.
Paul Pogba and Zlatan Ibrahimovic scored the key goals for the visitors, either side of James McArthur's strike, to seal the victory.
But that only tells part of the story from a controversial clash in south London. Here are the talking points from the game...
Pogba and Ibrahimovic make the difference
Manchester United's star duo Pogba and Ibrahimovic combined to deliver crucial goals late on in both halves, securing three points for Jose Mourinho's side and the visitors' first back-to-back wins in the Premier League since August.
Pogba capped a mixed first-half with a crucial close-range finish in injury-time. The Frenchman had lost possession more times (13) than any other United player in the opening 45, but had also carved out some of their best openings, firing a dipping strike over the bar from range, sending his man the wrong way before playing Juan Mata through and chipping a pass through for Wayne Rooney's mis-cued half-volley, which should have seen the captain match Sir Bobby Charlton's scoring record.
He then fired a volley from a tight angle straight at Wayne Hennessey on 41 minutes. But in stoppage time he got the better of the Welshman in controversial circumstances. Ibrahimovic's flick-on appeared to be with his arm while Pogba was stood in an offside position before slotting in. But the goal stood and United went in at the break on top.
McArthur cancelled out that effort though, and United needed a clinical finish from their Swedish striker with two minutes of normal time remaining to grab the win. Pogba spun away from Yohan Cabaye before feeding his fellow summer signing in the left channel, where Ibrahimovic's first-time shot flew over the on-rushing Hennessey.
It may not have been United's finest performance but Pogba and Ibrahimovic delivered in the key moments.
Controversial calls
This was a match packed with controversial refereeing calls at both ends of the pitch which put referee Craig Pawson in the spotlight. United's first goal resulted from an Ibrahimovic handball and Pogba finishing from an offside position - a decision the linesman should have spotted, according to Palace boss Alan Pardew - while United later had Juan Mata's strike chalked off for the narrowest of offside calls after Palace defender Joe Ledley cleared a corner with his arm.
Pogba's protests to that call earned him a booking. Marcos Rojo passionately protested his first-half yellow card, too, but in truth, his punishment for a two-footed challenge on Wilfried Zaha, which was nowhere near the ball and - fortunately for Crystal Palace - evaded by the winger, could easily have resulted in a sending off. "From the sideline it looked bad," said Pardew. "We've been to all these meetings where [referees say] that's a red card."
The Argentina international launched a similar tackle at Everton's Idrissa Gueye earlier this month - and again only received a yellow card. Former Premier League referee Dermot Gallagher described that decision as incorrect, saying on Sky Sports News HQ, "he was out of control and he's going to endanger the safety of his opponent. It's a red card and we can't say any more." Rojo was otherwise impressive on Wednesday - Mourinho described him as "phenomenal" - but his wild tackling could cost his team at some point.
Rooney's wait goes on
Wayne Rooney came tantalisingly close to equalling Sir Bobby Charlton's Manchester United scoring record on Wednesday night - but still his wait goes on.
The skipper should have done better with a close-range half-volley in the opening period when played in by a superb pass from Pogba, while Hennessey produced a fine save to parry his curling, long-range second-half shot away for a corner.
Fine margins continue to keep Rooney from history - an Ibrahimovic chipped cross was just too high, Eric Bailly's cutback was blocked with the forward poised, while the 31-year-old didn't connect properly with Matteo Darmian's whipped cross in the second half. But if he maintains this performance level that 249th goal can't be far away.
Palace's United hoodoo continues
It's one of the most dominant streaks in English football and it continued on Wednesday night. Manchester United extended their Premier League record over Crystal Palace to 12 wins in 15 meetings, with the south Londoners still yet to taste victory over United since 1991.
In the end we were undone by two of their best players and I just feel for my team. They gave me everything tonight.
Palace have lost to United in the Premier League more than any other side they have faced. James McArthur's equaliser gave them hope of bucking the trend and Pardew felt his side deserved more from the match but it wasn't enough. "In the end we were undone by two of their best players and I just feel for my team," Pardew said. "They gave me everything tonight."
United getting their rewards?
"My players deserved this," Mourinho said in his post-match press conference. It was a recurring theme from his analysis of the game. After a rocky three-and-a-half months, United are finally turning their dominance into wins.
The home draws to Stoke, Burnley and West Ham - in which United spurned chance after chance - have taken their toll on the club's title chances and have made their Champions League qualification a challenge. But Mourinho maintains his team are on the right path and after beating Tottenham on Sunday, he believes this win over Crystal Palace confirms their progress.
"The reality is I forget my draws and focus on performances," he said. "The performances have been very good for a long time. The players deserve this happiness." United had 16 shots to Palace's six and 61 per cent of possession on Wednesday but still needed a last-gasp winner. That decisive strike has been missing for much of the season, but now they're getting rewards.
