Nemanja Matic Scores Late Winner as Manchester United Beat Crystal Palace 3-2

Manchester United appeared on their way to another disappointing result on Monday against Crystal Palace, but Nemanja Matic scored in stoppage time to give his side a 3-2 win.

Andros Townsend gave the hosts a shock lead early in the first half, and the Eagles were barely troubled before the break, as United played without any intensity or inspiration.

Patrick van Aanholt doubled the Eagles' advantage early in the second half, but Chris Smalling reduced the deficit. Romelu Lukaku tied things up in the 76th minute before Matic completed the comeback one minute into injury time.

Here's a look at the teamsheet, via John Cross of the Mirror:

The match had a sloppy start but sprung into action when Alexis Sanchez had an open look on goal, drawing a great save from goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey who timed his move forward to perfection.

The Red Devils were on the front foot but conceded with the first real chance they allowed, courtesy of some poor defending. Townsend had far too much space to unleash a strike in the 11th minute, and his shot took a deflection that gave goalkeeper David De Gea no chance.

Per Samuel Luckhurst of the Manchester Evening News, the goal might have been prevented if Eric Bailly had started:

Christian Benteke played a key role in the goal, holding up play before passing to Townsend, and he continued to weigh heavily on the visitors' defence. United had no real response, and De Gea had to make a strong save to deny Alexander Sorloth.

Hennessey got to the ball just before Lukaku could, but he almost made a costly mistake, dropping a routine cross that one of his defenders had to clear.

The Red Devils clearly hadn't learned their lesson and allowed Townsend to line up another shot, but this time the former Tottenham Hotspur man blasted over.

Paul Pogba, Sanchez and Lukaku all struggled during the first half, but Jesse Lingard went close shortly before the break, dragging a shot wide from a solid position. A minute of injury time was stretched after a clash of heads between Ashley Young and Luka Milivojevic before the half came to an end.

Bleacher Report's Rob Blanchette did not like what he saw:

Manager Jose Mourinho introduced Marcus Rashford to start the second half, but it didn't have much impact on the team's passing, which remained poor. And just three minutes into the half, the hosts doubled their advantage, when a quick free-kick landed at the feet of Van Aanholt, who put the ball past De Gea. 

Football writer Huw Davies loved the finish:

The second goal appeared to wake the Red Devils up, though, and suddenly chances started to arrive. Pogba put Hennessey to work with a hard drive, and Smalling headed a corner wide after some contact inside the box.

The defender had another chance minutes later and didn't fail again, turning a cross from Antonio Valencia into a much-needed goal for United in the 55th minute. Per BBC 5 live Sport, he was aided by a defensive error:

De Gea was almost caught out by a wayward cross, and Benteke nearly restored the two-goal advantage but headed wide. 

Rashford powered a free-kick wide and Benteke missed with another header, as the action continued to move up and down the pitch.

The equaliser came with 14 minutes left to play, as an effort from Sanchez struck the bar before falling back into play, where Lukaku pushed the ball home. Per WhoScored.com, the Belgium international is in fine form:

"

Romelu Lukaku: Has scored or assisted 11 goals in his last 11 appearances for Manchester United (eight goals, three assists) #CRYMUN

— WhoScored.com (@WhoScored) March 5, 2018"

De Gea made a world-class save to deny Benteke a deserved goal, and James McArthur also missed a glorious chance when he failed to find his feet in time. The Red Devils also had their chances, but Hennessey made a key save of his own to deny Juan Mata. 

And just as a draw seemed inevitable, Matic unleashed a fantastic strike a minute in injury time, giving Hennessey no chance. 

United's next outing will be the visit of archrivals Liverpool on Saturday, while Palace travel to Chelsea later on the same day.