For the first time in a while, Manchester United experienced what it was like to be on the right end of a late goal.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s finish from an acute angle at Selhurst Park was enough to seal a 2-1 victory over Crystal Palace, after James McCarthur had cancelled out Paul Pogba’s opener.
The goal that Pogba scored shouldn’t have stood. The ball struck Ibrahimovic’s arm before reaching the midfielder, who was standing in an offside position at the time. This, along with the fact Marcos Rojo wasn’t sent off for *another* two-footed lunge, left the home crowd frustrated at the end of the first half.
This said, United were also on the wrong end of poor decisions from Craig Pawson and his officials. After the Palace equaliser, they were denied a penalty for what appeared to be a clear handball against Joe Ledley in the area. Soon after, Juan Mata had a goal contentiously ruled out for offside, too.
In the end United found a way to win and it was Pogba’s performance that was enough to see the Frenchman earn the man of the match award. The honour of handing him the trophy fell to Ibrahimovic as the pair came to the end of their post-match interview with BT Sport.
Asked if he would mind handing over the award, the Swedish striker’s response was exactly what we’ve come to expect of the man throughout his career.
Very Zlatan pic.twitter.com/tsCQs6WHFO
— Si Lloyd (@SmnLlyd5) December 14, 2016
United now face a trip to play West Bromwich Albion at the weekend, before home games against Sunderland and Middlesbrough over the Christmas period.
Having secured consecutive league victories for the first time since August, Jose Mourinho will hope that his side can now kick on and close the gap between them and the top four.
Catch up with the latest episode of Football Friday Live:
