It looked like Wayne Rooney’s head gear was going to be the main talking point in a goalless first half, but Crystal Palace soon found themselves with a mountain to climb.
Ian Holloway would have been delighted to see his charges reach the interval on level terms, and they so very nearly did before Ashley Young went down in the box under the challenge of Kagisho Dikgacoi on the stroke of half time.
The Palace man saw red and Robin Van Persie coolly finished from the spot in what was a double whammy for the visitors, though the decision was a controversial one as Young appeared to be going down outside the box. Not that Young has previous for going down easily or anything.
Was it in the box ?
— G.Neville (@GNev2) September 14, 2013
Ashley Young is still on the pitch at half-time, putting in some extra practice. What a pro… pic.twitter.com/D5lzGJUv4I
— Paddy Power (@paddypower) September 14, 2013
Here is the incident, though you can’t see the edge of the box clearly, and the finish from the Dutchman.
