In the 37th minute of the game, Ashley Young dribbled continuously down the left flank, cut into the penalty area, and delivered a pinpoint cross.
Lukaku received the ball, held off his marker, and scored with a surprisingly delicate chip shot over the keeper.
Crystal Palace 0-1 Manchester United.
Five minutes into the second half, Lukaku struck again.
He seized a chaotic corner opportunity to bundle the ball home, scoring his second goal.
He pounded his chest and roared excitedly like a wild gorilla, finally breaking his poor run of form!
But who would have thought that disaster would strike just three minutes later?
David De Gea collided his knee violently against the goalpost while making a desperate, sprawling save.
After being diagnosed on the pitch by the team doctor, it was clear he was unable to continue.
He was substituted off, limping heavily, replaced by backup Sergio Romero.
It must be said that Crystal Palace manager Roy Hodgson still possessed significant tactical acumen.
Seeing De Gea go off, he immediately directed Crystal Palace to launch a relentless aerial bombardment tactic into the box to test the cold backup keeper.
In the 74th minute of the second half, Crystal Palace executed a slick one-two on the left flank, delivering a deep cross to the far post of the penalty area.
Joel Ward surged forward, completely unmarked, and headed the ball powerfully home, pulling one back for the Eagles!
1-2
From then on, Crystal Palace pressed their physical advantage relentlessly, continuously launching desperate, high attacks from both wings into the box.
"David, how are you?"
Watching De Gea holding a massive ice pack against his knee on the bench, Ling's tone was filled with deep concern.
Currently, Manchester United's defensive line still had some vulnerabilities when rotating, and De Gea was the ultimate key to plugging those gaps.
Although Romero was the starting goalkeeper for the Argentine national team, his sweeping ability and reflexes still fell significantly short compared to the world-class De Gea.
"It shouldn't be too serious. I'll get it scanned after the match, but I think it's just a bruise," De Gea winced, though he could feel the sharp pain gradually subsiding.
But back on the pitch, an unbelievable, utterly bizarre scene suddenly unfolded!
Manchester United's substitute goalkeeper Romero took a goal kick, safely passing it short to Harry Maguire on the right side of the box.
However, Maguire seemed entirely unaware that play had legally resumed.
Thinking it was a dead ball, he casually scooped up the live football with his massive hands and placed it back inside the six-yard box to retake the kick.
BEEP!!!
The referee immediately blew his whistle, ran into the box, and pointed firmly to the penalty spot!
Handball!
Maguire stared blankly at the referee for three full seconds before clutching his massive head in absolute disbelief, his face a sudden mix of crushing regret and shock.
He had indeed been a bit distracted just then, thinking about his positioning.
Romero was on the verge of tears in the goal!
'I finally get a rare chance to play, and you pull this idiotic stunt on me, Harry?!'
Now the Argentine fully understood why De Gea had told him in training.
"Unless absolutely necessary, never pass the ball short to Maguire under pressure, or the consequences could be disastrous!"
"My fault," Maguire hung his head, his face burning red, not daring to look at his furious teammates.
This penalty was absolutely devastating and could very well lead to Manchester United being held to a draw by a relegation-battling Crystal Palace.
And with the league table being so fiercely competitive at the moment, two dropped points felt like a loss.
"It's fine. Leave it to me," Romero took a deep breath, trying to calm his nerves.
Complaining now was pointless.
Besides, he wanted to experience what it felt like to be a penalty-saving hero.
When the referee's whistle blew, Michy Batshuayi took his run-up and fired a powerful shot to the left side of the goal.
Even though Romero guessed the correct direction and dived well, the shot was too precise.
He still couldn't keep the ball out.
2-2!
Selhurst Park erupted as if struck by an earthquake, with Crystal Palace fans screaming hysterically with raised arms.
Deep down, humans harbor a destructive urge.
For Crystal Palace fans, dragging last season's Premier League Title winners down to their level in such comical fashion was a matter of immense, chaotic pride!
Maguire's face instantly turned deathly pale.
He wished he could bury his big head in the ground.
"Fuck! Fuck! FUCK!" Mourinho stomped furiously on the touchline turf, completely losing his composure.
It wasn't that he couldn't accept defeat or a draw, but the sheer comical manner of it was simply humiliating!
Maguire had been solid for most of the season, only to falter in the most basic way at a critical moment.
What on earth was going through that big head of his, to even think of picking up a live ball with his hands?!
Mourinho's lips trembled with rage as he screamed at his defender.
"DO YOU THINK YOU'RE PLAYING BASKETBALL!?"
Ling and De Gea exchanged nervous glances on the bench, neither daring to approach Mourinho to try and calm him down.
De Gea was even selfishly relieved to have been substituted off.
If that defensive disaster had happened to him, he would probably have been talked about for the rest of his life, becoming an "eternally infamous moment" forever recorded in Premier League blooper history.
"Big Head really should have checked if the ball was live in advance!" Mahrez couldn't help but complain to the bench.
Back when they were teammates at Leicester City, Mahrez had noticed that Maguire often struggled with massive lapses in concentration during the latter, exhausting stages of matches.
Previously, De Gea had always kept a close eye on him and shouted reminders, but Romero wasn't familiar with Maguire's mental tendencies, which had led to this massive, unforced error.
"Sometimes on the pitch, you just zone out and can't react in time," De Gea thought for a long moment before finally managing to say something in defense of his center-back.
After all, the two had partnered for a long time, and there was at least some camaraderie between them.
"Alright, everyone makes mistakes on the field. Let's make sure no one brings this up again to his face," Ling cut off his teammates' whispering discussion.
After venting his anger, Mourinho quickly brought on Rashford and Ling to strengthen the attack, desperately hoping to score another late winner.
But Crystal Palace made it clear they were determined to defend their miracle point to the death.
With little time left in the match, Ling barely even touched the ball.
The few shooting opportunities he managed to create were all blocked by Crystal Palace players acting as desperate human shields in the box.
When the referee's final whistle blew, Mourinho couldn't help but sigh and look up at the dark London sky.
...
With the conclusion of Matchday 24 of the Premier League, Manchester United shockingly drew 2-2 with Crystal Palace, a massive unexpected result in the title race.
What saddened Manchester United fans the most was that their team was the only top contender underperforming that weekend.
Liverpool won 5-0 against Watford, Manchester City won 1-0 against West Ham United, Arsenal won 5-1 against Bournemouth, and Tottenham won 2-0 against Chelsea—all achieving solid, expected results.
However, the league table didn't change drastically.
Manchester City remained in first place, leading second-placed Manchester United by three points, while Manchester United led Liverpool by one point.
As for fourth-placed Tottenham, they had already fallen out of the realistic title race entirely.
With only 14 matches left in the Premier League season, Manchester City essentially held the absolute initiative.
But they would face Liverpool and Manchester United in quick succession toward the brutal end of the season.
Nevertheless, everyone at Manchester City remained highly confident, especially since their situation was far better than last season's dogfight.
As long as they secured victories in their remaining easier matches, they only needed to find a way to draw against Manchester United in the final derby.
Even if they lost to Liverpool, it wouldn't matter, as they could still win the title on goal difference.
In stark contrast to the jubilation over at the Etihad, a dark, heavy cloud hung over the Carrington training base.
Although everyone knew Maguire hadn't done it on purpose, just thinking about that bizarre basketball-like scene filled them with frustration.
Moreover, it was well-known that Manchester United fans were among the most demanding and unforgiving in the world.
According to a recent social media study, Manchester United players faced significantly more online abuse than those of any other Premier League club when they failed.
Given such a comical, costly incident, it was inevitable that a massive media storm would erupt.
Consequently, Harry Maguire's personal social media accounts were flooded with countless hateful toxic comments.
@UtdFaithful: A €60 million fridge! Absolutely useless! Get out of my club! 🤬
@RedDevilsDaily: If Manchester United loses the title to City because of that one penalty, we'll never forgive you, you idiot!
@RoyKeaneFan: I don't want to see this big, clumsy guy on the pitch again! Why not start Phil Jones or Bailly? Anyone is better than Maguire right now!
@PremStatMan: Harry Maguire is the first player in Premier League history to concede a penalty by literally picking the ball up during open play!
...
Maguire had been incredibly gloomy over the next two days at training, sighing heavily from time to time and avoiding eye contact.
However, the very next day after the incident, Ling publicly expressed his opinion, pinning a comment right under Maguire's most abused social media post for all the millions of followers to see:
"Everyone makes mistakes on the football pitch. Harry knows he made an error, and we have accepted the dropped points as a team. But we will not feel discouraged or give up because of it, and we stand by our players. Win as a team, lose as a team."
Ling did not blindly support Maguire by attacking the fans or claiming it wasn't a mistake.
Because Maguire did indeed make a terrible mistake, and the fans' anger was somewhat justified.
After all, as the saying goes, "The deeper the love, the sharper the hatred."
But that did not mean Maguire had to bear the toxic abuse alone.
As a team and a collective, they could not hide like cowards while their teammate was under siege.
Soon after the captain's post, the rest of the Manchester United players—De Gea, Pogba, Rashford, and Shaw—also voiced their public support for their center-back.
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