Lacroix on half-time discussion which inspired goalscorer Muñoz
Max Lacroix revealed that Crystal Palace got around Daniel Muñoz at half-time against Newcastle United – and that paid dividends with the Colombian’s last-gasp equaliser.
The Colombian was unfortunate to place an effort wide in the first-half at the culmination of a rapid counter-attack, but recovered to score his first goal for the club in the 94th minute – earning his side a fully-deserved point,.
Lacroix revealed: “I think we deserved it, because if you look at the game, we had many chances, even with the one with Muñoz.
“At half-time, he was a little bit angry because he didn't score, and we said: ‘OK, we are together, we have this mentality, you’re going to score.’ We conceded one goal, which was a little unlucky, I want to say, but in the last minute, we scored. We are happy for him.
“I think, in this team, we have a good mentality, good character, and we are really happy with this point. I think we could have had more.”
Although Palace were forced to settle for a 1-1 draw with the Magpies, Oliver Glasner’s side were the superior outfit throughout – enjoying 16 shots to Newcastle’s one.
The point, however, takes them out of the relegation zone and up to 17th in the table.
“Sometimes it's difficult, but we work hard, and this is the most important thing, and we're getting better and better,” Lacroix noted.
“I think the only game we lost [recently] was against Fulham here, and in the last games, we showed really good moves and really good things, and I think we're going to win some games.
“We have to be together, and the mentality is good in this team, and like I said, we speak with a lot of people in the club. We don't feel we are at this [league] position, because we’ve played really well, especially against good teams.”