How Amorim's half-time tweaks turned game around for Man Utd

A dip in Crystal Palace's intensity - given their busy schedule paired with Ismaila Sarr's 38th-minute injury - largely helped explain why they looked less dangerous in the second half against Manchester United.

Ruben Amorim's men, however, deserve credit for their improvements after the break.

Joshua Zirkzee struggled to make the ball stick in the opening period under intense pressure from Maxence Lacroix, but looked sharper in the second half. He made numerous runs into the left flank, finding separation from his marker and, with smart touches, brought team-mates into play.

This appeared intentional, with 47% of all of United's attacking moves in the second half going down their left.

On the left flank, Mason Mount and Diogo Dalot rotated smartly. Mount's movements into the wide areas forced Daniel Munoz to follow him at times which allowed Dalot to receive the ball in space.

Palace centre-back Chris Richards left his position attempting to reduce the time Dalot had on the ball, but this was more of an awkward defensive task than marking Mount, which was primarily his role in the first half.

Zirkzee's increased involvement down the left was also paired with Bryan Mbeumo moving centrally from his right-forward position. This centre-forward position allowed him to hold the ball up and win fouls more reliably than Zirkzee did in the first half against direct pressure.

In the build-up to their first goal, Mbeumo won a free-kick in his own half, utilising his body well, which allowed United to regain possession.

When play restarted, United won another free-kick - the set-play Zirkzee finished well from the left side of the box.

For United's second set-piece goal, the initial foul was won after Zirkzee moved towards the left touchline and flicked the ball on cleverly for Dalot, who had moved infield before being fouled.

As much as these changes provided United with the platform to get on the ball, attack more dangerously and win fouls high up the pitch, Amorim attributed much of the success post-match to the gap in intensity between the two sides too.