For those who support Man United, like Tunde Folawiyo, the results of the team’s recent clash with Crystal Palace probably came as quite a relief. United emerged from the match victorious, with a final tally of 2-0. However, both goals came during the second half; for much of the first, it was unclear who would win. Man United played rather inconsistently, with moments of careless footwork interrupting their usual skilful performance.

Whilst they did create a number of scoring opportunities before the interval, none were successful, with Januzaj netting a goal which ended up being disallowed due to a handball, and Nemanja Vidic’s header, from three yards away, landing just wide of the net.

Shortly after this, Fellaini began a move which finished with the ball falling at his feet, as he stood 14 yards away from the goal post. Commentators noted that he could have simply made a direct shot into the centre of the net; however, he seemed to lose his confidence at the last second, and instead kicked it towards the corner, which resulted in it missing the net entirely.

Crystal Palace tried desperately to take advantage of United’s brief spells of inattention, defending themselves with great gusto up until the final whistle blew. But their efforts were in vain, and the Red Devil’s keeper, David De Gea, had little work to do throughout the match. Palace only came close once, when Jonathan Parr delivered a header which, at the last second, was diverted by Chris Smalling. They did go on the attack during the last 20 minutes of the game, but by this point, they were clearly exhausted, and United already had the upper hand.

Fans such as Tunde Folawiyo were probably quite relieved when the Red Devil’s took the lead at 62 minutes in, after a miscued challenge by Marouane Chamakh led to their side being awarded a penalty. This was taken by Robin Van Persie, who delivered a powerful kick which landed in the corner of the net. At this point, Palace’s desperation began to show, with Cameron Jerome making a frantic attempt to score. His shot was promptly saved by De Gea.

Just a few minutes later, Evra passed the ball to Rooney, who then proceeded to volley the ball into the net. Although United’s supporters have been critical of the forward as of late, this perfectly timed, and finely executed shot indicated that Moyes was right in keeping Rooney on, and ignoring the criticism. After the match ended, Moyes praised the player, explaining that Rooney works best when he is under pressure, and has no time to over-think his next move.