“They deserve all the praise:” Joe Cole believes these three players were key to United’s 2-1 win over Crystal Palace

Retired Chelsea and England midfielder Joe Cole has singled out three Manchester United players for their impressive performances during the well-earned 2-1 win over Crystal Palace on Sunday afternoon. While Man United were a goal down at half-time, Ruben Amorim’s men came out swinging once the second half got underway. Appearing hungry for a result, it didn’t take long for their determination to pay off when Joshua Zirkzee equalised with a stunning strike. Mason Mount then scored off another free kick to earn United the victory. But while it was an impressive team performance, there were three players who stood out in Cole’s eyes. A team with a mission Fellow former England international Peter Crouch explained on TNT Sports how impressed he was with United’s grit, particularly as they turned things around after the break. “We asked for it at half-time, there were players there who could give more, and they did second half, to be fair to them,” Crouch explained. “You can see with their reactions on the final whistle the sheer joy, the relief, the passion that they’ve shown. You could see how big that was, the criticism that’s been levelled at them after the Everton game was really disappointing, great reaction for them certainly second half.” For Cole, there were some individuals worth paying special attention to. The magical trio “The intensity they came out and played the second half with was fantastic,” Cole started off by saying. “Bruno Fernandes, Casemiro, Mason Mount, outstanding in there at times. Getting hold of the ball, moving it, they created chances, looked strong at the back,” he explained. Fernandes was the heartbeat of United’s midfield, grabbing two assists for his efforts, while Mount scored the scintillating winning goal. Still, Cole did not shy away from praising the entire team for their chemistry. “The hardest thing for these players is the weight of the shirt, you lose on Monday night with a bad performance, a bad result at home and the criticism that inevitably follows,” he explained, referring to the 1-0 loss at home to Everton. “And you have to deal with that, come out on a Sunday morning in south London and play like they did in the second half. We’ve criticised them, criticised the manager, but today they deserve all the praise, they were fantastic.” All eyes will be on United as they host West Ham United on Thursday night. Now in sixth place on the Premier League standings, United will be hoping that they continue to compete for European football and perhaps even launch an unlikely title challenge. Featured image JWarren Little via Getty Images The Peoples Person has been one of the world’s leading Man United news sites for over a decade. Follow us on Bluesky: @peoplesperson.bsky.social Mathew Cohen A faithful Manchester United supporter, Mathew has worked as a football writer and analyst for SB Nation, FanSided, and now The Peoples Person. Mathew’s heroes include David Beckham, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Sir Alex Ferguson, all of whom played their part in creating some special childhood memories.