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Jose's Special One: Mata proving Mourinho's unlikely Man United saviour

The Spaniard looked to be a goner when the Portuguese arrived but he has made a habit of bailing out his former Chelsea boss in recent times

It mystified many Manchester United fans. With the Red Devils needing a goal to break the deadlock against Crystal Palace, off came Juan Mata and Jesse Lingard for Marouane Fellaini and Marcus Rashford with 30 minutes still to play.

On his 200th appearance for the club, Mata’s afternoon had been cut short, and it didn’t go down particularly well with the Old Trafford faithful as they watched their side disappointingly amble to a 0-0 draw with the Eagles.