LONDON -- It looked unlikely at halftime against Crystal Palace that either Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim or striker Joshua Zirkzee would leave Selhurst Park with any credit.

Going a goal down thanks to a retaken Jean-Philippe Mateta penalty (after he accidentally touched the ball twice on the first kick), Amorim was left facing a second significant setback in a week following the embarrassing 1-0 home defeat to 10-man Everton on Monday. Zirkzee, meanwhile, failed to muster a meaningful touch during an anonymous first 45 minutes, let alone a shot to trouble Palace goalkeeper Dean Henderson .

It's to their credit, then, that both made the journey back to Manchester from south London on Sunday with their reputations not only intact, but enhanced.

It was Amorim's tacti

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