Richards: We dug in and deserved our point
Chris Richards says Crystal Palace can be pleased with a first Premier League clean sheet of the season – and a well-earned point – against Manchester United.
The Eagles were on the backfoot for much of the first-half and owed much to Dean Henderson for going into the break level, but improved after the restart and had chances of their own to claim what could have been a first league win of the campaign.
Nevertheless, Richards was satisfied with the draw, saying: “It wasn't always pretty, but I think we dug deep, especially in the second-half, and I think it was a deserved point.
“I think we could have even gone for more, but again, that's just something that we're working on, you know, every day, every game is something we're working on, and we feel three points coming soon, it's just a matter of when.
“[It was] a bit tiring, but, you know, it was fulfilling as well. Keeping a clean sheet, regardless of who the opponent is, is always nice, and especially against a team like United. I think it really helped us today.
“I think if you keep a clean sheet, it can help no matter what the game is, so we’re really happy with that aspect of the game today.”
On the improvement in the second-half, Richards noted: “I think we made the right adjustments at half-time, and it showed when we came out in the second-half.
“I think first-half we played a bit too cautious, but second-half, we were like ‘just go for it’, and I think that's exactly what we did. It could have been a few goals from either side, but at the end of the day, it was a 0-0 tie, so we'll take it.
“I think every game we play, we’re just growing in confidence, and I think you can see it on the pitch.”