Crystal Palace star's FA Cup 'nightmare' will still boost Man Utd transfer talk - opinion

Crystal Palace striker Jean-Philippe Mateta may have had nightmares about missing a penalty in an FA Cup semi-final at Wembley Stadium on Friday night. On Saturday afternoon, the 27-year-old did exactly that.

That 53rd minute miss will no doubt be the cause of sleepless nights to come for the Frenchman, but it did little to distract from what was an outstanding performance from Mateta. The striker may not have been on the scoresheet but his performance was one that will turn heads once again, particularly those of Manchester United.

While the Frenchman will not make the headlines that will deservedly go to Eberechi Eze and Ismalia Sarr for their scintillating showings, Mateta deserves equal praise. It was his first half performance that set the pace for his teammates and inspired a historic win.

Jean Philippe-Mateta sparkles despite FA Cup penalty miss

After just 17 minutes, Mateta went storming forwards with determination, resulting in an early yellow card for Boubacar Kamara. Just over 10 minutes later, the striker was snapping at the heels of Ezri Konsa and nicked the ball away. Mateta fired home in that moment but was very harshly penalised for a foul on the defender - “that’s what he does for defenders, makes it very uncomfortable for them,” said Alan Shearer on commentary.

That was an immediate impact from that moment with Crystal Palace shifting up gears. The change in momentum inspired Sarr to press high and close down, winning the ball and setting up that unforgettable Eze striker.

Mateta wasn’t done. In the 37th minute he turned into a winger to beat two Aston Villa players on the flank and whip in a delicious cross onto the head of Sarr, who nodded over. His influence remained imperious - coming out the tunnel at half time, cameras picked up the player delivering a rallying call of ‘stick to the plan’ to his colleagues.

That kind of performance makes it no surprise to see Mateta linked with a transfer to Manchester United. The striker has bags of passion, which has been absent at Old Trafford this season, and his ability to lift other players up is an invaluable quality. He’s simply in a different league to Rasmus Hojlund or Joshua Zirkzee.

Manchester United should be desperate to sign Crystal Palace man

The forward’s assist for the Crystal Palace goal was simple yet instinctive, showing how well he knows his teammates. When the third went in with minutes left to play, Mateta sprinted from the bench and ran the length of the pitch to celebrate too. That’s not even mentioning a perfectly executed sliding tackle on the edge of his own box in the 75th minute to end a dangerous Aston Villa attack and how he conducted Eagles supporters’ cheers having pressed to win a throw in late on.

Shearer said: “I know he’s missed a penalty but he’s been a nightmare, horrible to play against for the Aston Villa defenders. He’s done his job superbly well in leading the line, even late in the game, working hard. He doesn’t give defenders a second to settle on the ball.”

Manchester United were last week tipped to have made a decisive move to sign Wolves man Matheus Cunha but to do that over recruiting Mateta would be a mistake - as much as it would be good news for Crystal Palace. Mateta not only offers goals, but the ability to make every player on the team around him better.

For Amorim, who has criticised just how bad his squad is this season, seeing him do that in the FA Cup semi-final will surely make Mateta a number one priority. Speaking about the lack of character at Old Trafford in January, Amorim said: "In [the past] 10 games in Premier League, we won two.

"Imagine what this is for a fan of Manchester United. Imagine what this is for me. We are getting a new coach who is losing more than the last coach. I have full knowledge of that.

"We are the worst team maybe in the history of Manchester United. I know you [media] want headlines but I am saying that because we have to acknowledge that and to change that. Here you go: your headlines."

In other news, Alan Shearer rubbishes 'moaning' Aston Villa after 'exceptional' Crystal Palace goal.