United took the lead at Selhurst Park courtesy of Mohamed Diamé’s close-range strike, with Kenedy and Ayoze Pérez both coming close to adding to their advantage before the break.
However, Palace started to get a foothold as the first half wore on, and they restored parity ten minutes into the second through Luka Milivojević’s penalty.
The Eagles were firmly in the ascendancy after that, and only a superb piece of defending by Ciaran Clark – the player who had fouled Christian Benteke for the spot kick – kept Roy Hodgson’s side at bay.
Asked whether the Magpies were dwelling on an opportunity lost or feeling content with a valuable point, Yedlin told nufc.co.uk: “Kind of both.
“I think every point is valuable at this stage. It’s a missed opportunity in the sense we were leading and gave up that lead, but it’s a valuable point in the sense they were coming at us a lot, and they had chances. I thought we defended bravely and we kept it at 1-1, which – especially as a backline – is pleasing.
“For the point and for our confidence, it was huge not to lose. We obviously have a tough game coming up next week, so not getting beat can do wonders for your confidence. It was a pretty even game for the most part. We’re disappointed we didn’t keep the lead but happy that when they did come back into it, we defended well.”
Up against winger Wilfried Zaha – comfortably Palace’s most threatening player on the day – Yedlin had a vital part to play in making sure the Magpies didn’t leave Sehlhurst Park empty-handed, particularly during the second half.
“He’s a problem. He’s a great player one versus one, and you have to work extremely hard to defend against him,” the American said. “A couple of times he did me. It’s one of those things – you just have to focus. You know, with him, he’s going to have chances and get into dangerous areas, so it’s about trying to limit the opportunities he has.”
Yedlin also paid tribute to Brazilian Kenedy, who provided the delivery for Diamé’s goal, four days after doing the same for Jamaal Lascelles against Burnley at St. James’ Park.
“He’s been great. Any time a player can come in and contribute to goals, it’s fantastic,” said Yedlin. “It’s not easy to come into a new team and contribute straight away like that. We’ve all been very impressed by him. He’s doing a great job.”
