“I think on the three goals that we conceded we should defend better,” he told Palace TV after the game. “There is some pictures that we have to look at again, but when you look at the individual talent of that team, we knew that it would be tough and difficult.
“But we had a couple of chances and I believed that we could score goals, and I was really happy with the attitude we showed.
“We didn’t give up, we tried to work well and work hard together. JP [Mateta] had a couple of situations, and we had a couple with Jordan [Ayew]. We kept fighting until the end.
“We had a situation where we could score the second goal, but at the end it was what I was looking for because of the tempo of the game. It was a Premier League game, and I was pleased with the intensity of the game.”
Vieira explained the issue that he felt allowed Man Utd to take control of the game, but he was pleased with the impact made by his Academy introductions in the second-half.
“We showed a positive attitude after that, we tried to get there,” he said of the response to the opening goal. “At times we didn’t defend well enough – there was a lot of space between the line and our pressing wasn’t good enough. We created space in behind and then it was really difficult for us.
“Victor[Akinwale] was there one-on-one and that foul didn’t allow him to take his chance. But they came on the field and they were really positive, really aggressive and the attitude they showed coming on in the last 15 to 20 minutes was good.”
There was a special mention for the Palace fans, locals and those who made the journey from London and
“[Melbourne] is a really lovely place,” Vieira said. “Where we were based was good. We met some of the Palace fans and they left England coming to Melbourne still coming to see the Palace.
“We saw them today at the game or at the hotel, it was good.”