James McArthur feels Fraizer Campbell's first half miss was not the cause of Saturday 1-0 defeat at Old Trafford.

With the game still goal-less, Campbell was put clear on goal five minutes before the break after Daley Blind and Paddy McNair both misjudged a long ball from Damien Delaney.

However, the Eagles forward lifted his shot over the bar and the chance went begging before the game was finally settled in United’s favour by Juan Mata’s second half winner.

McArthur said: “Obviously on another day he (Campbell) scores that and it is a different game.

“But he has scored a couple of goals for us that have been very important so it is a team effort, it is not one chance that has lost us the game.”

The Palace midfielder came to his side’s rescue before Mata’s decisive strike when he cleared Marouane Fellaini’s header off the line.

“I just tried to be ready for it,” the Scotland international said.

“Wayne Rooney puts great balls in and obviously Fellaini attacks them well, so there  was a good chance they were going to be winning a couple of headers in the box so you just need to be ready for it.

“All the way through game we believed we could keep a clean sheet.

“We got back to being nice and compact and limited their chances - I felt we did that especially first half.

“Second half, as soon as they get the goal they are going to get chances and it needed us to come out a bit.”

The Eagles may only have two Premier League victories to their name so far, but McArthur is convinced the Old Trafford display proves things have started to turn back in their favour.

“I think we were back to being really solid again hard to beat and that is what Crystal Palace is about,” he explained.

“We could have kept the ball a bit more and attacked a wee bit better but I think overall I think there are some positives to take today. We were back to being solid.

“When I watched Crystal Palace last year they were always solid and didn’t concede many goals and I think we need to get back to that as a team.

“To come here and only concede one goal - which is probably a poor one for us to concede for 1-0 - but we are back to being solid again.

“It is Crystal Palace - we know it is going to be a tough, tough season but as I say we keep believing and we keep going.” 

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