Patrick Vieira has talked up the belief within his Crystal Palace side as they came from behind to earn a 1-1 draw with Manchester United on Wednesday evening.
Ahead of the Premier League fixture at Selhurst Park, Palace had lost four of their five games in all competitions since the resumption of action after the World Cup.
Although the Eagles were much improved versus Chelsea at the weekend, they still succumbed to a 1-0 defeat at Stamford Bridge, Vieira feeling that his players were unfortunate not to secure at least a share of the spoils.
However, Palace were able to get back on track versus United, despite falling behind to a Bruno Fernandes finish towards the end of the first half.
Just as it appeared that they would suffer a third successive home defeat in the top flight, Michael Olise netted one of the goals of the season in added-on time.
The highly-regarded playmaker was able to curl a 25-yard free kick over the United wall and into the net via the underside of the crossbar, beating the despairing dive of David de Gea.
Michael Olise ROBBED Man Utd of all three-points late on with an unreal free-kick! 🔥pic.twitter.com/lGysJsPi1L
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) January 18, 2023
Palace remain in 12th position in the Premier League standings, albeit marginally closer to the top half of the table with the current gap to 10th-placed Chelsea at five points.
Nevertheless, speaking to Match of the Day after the game, Vieira stressed that he looks at far more than league placings when making judgments on his teams.
The Frenchman said: "It feels like a win because we are happy with not losing the game. It was tough. Important not to concede the second goal and to stay strong in the second half. We built the momentum and belief and we got rewarded with Michael's free kick.
"We wanted to have the ball and have possession but we couldn't because of Man United's quality. We showed discipline and not conceding that second goal was important. We believed and then came the free kick."
Vieira added: "When you look at the performances against two teams [Chelsea and Manchester United] who are on a different level, competing for Champions League, if we keep that competitiveness, it will serve us well.
"We look deeper than the result. Our performances have been positive and we want to build from that. You have ups and downs when you are building but it is important for me and the club to stay level headed because it is a process."
Palace are next in action when they play host to Newcastle United on January 21.
Darren Plant
