The temperature around the away dressing room at Selhurst Park may have been bitterly cold after the final whistle, but the upbeat atmosphere among Manchester United’s players provided plenty of warmth. Captain Bruno Fernandes shared a lighthearted moment with Joshua Zirkzee about adjusting his trousers, while a smiling Luke Shaw had a long chat with veteran broadcaster Martin Tyler before heading off to the team coach.
Ruben Amorim was determined to keep the mood upbeat when he spotted a group of reporters waiting in the mixed zone and playfully suggested an impromptu press conference before the official press conference. Eventually, he apologized and hurried up the stairs to the media center.
Match winner Mason Mount’s jovial demeanor was evident as he approached a journalist quipping that we were preventing him from leaving. Once the excitement subsided, Mount revealed the exchange he had with Fernandes right before the winning goal.
“We always have a little conversation. I said to him, ‘I’ll roll it up,’ and he said, ‘You stay there,’ and then I said, ‘You take the shot.’ Obviously the sun was harsh today and they were causing us some problems with long balls in the first half, so I thought it was going to be difficult for Deano (Henderson) to put the ball in the net.”
“And he said, ‘Stay there,’ and turned the ball over. You can see my reaction when I got on the edge…he said obviously, but he was really quick, and that’s what helped the situation. They didn’t see it coming, they didn’t see us talking, they were slow to react, and it’s about finding that little space on the wall and finding that little disruption and hitting the target.”
Sunday marked Mount’s first full appearance since his time at Chelsea, ironically against the same opponent. “It felt like a long time,” Mount laughed while talking about completing the entire match.
“This is obviously a big plus for me as well. I’ve been training hard lately and I feel really good right now so it’s a real plus to be able to finish the 90 minutes. Now it’s all about recovering and heading into the next game.”
During the break, it seemed impossible to have such a cheerful discussion with Mount. United struggled in the first half and were understandably behind at half-time after Jean-Philippe Mateta’s penalty.
United supporters may have been worried, but Amorim remained calm in the changing room. “He was telling us to keep going, stay calm and do what we had to do. We all knew what we had to do in the second half,” Mount said.
“They had only played recently so we felt they could slump in the second half. We had our chances too, so we just keep doing what we’ve been doing. Obviously it’s difficult to lose 1-0, but we showed character to get back into the game in the second half.”
It wasn’t a perfect performance, but the most important thing for the Reds at this crucial stage is to secure the three points. They have closed the gap on the top four and Mount has made his ambitions clear.
He said: “We’ve had some little hiccups, but nothing bad has happened (this season). We’ve been doing well this season, had a good pre-season, and have been training hard every week. We’ve worked hard so far, not just on my own, but as a group. We’ve had our ups and downs, but we’re in a much better place individually and as a group.”
“We need to start now and win more games, and the most important thing is to win. It was a difficult result in the last game, but it was very important to come back today. So now it’s time to start and aim for a top-four position.”
