Richard Shaw was the forgotten man in the incident that saw Eric Cantona leap, feet first, into the Selhurst Park crowd back in January 1995.
Cantona unleashed a kung-fu kick at Palace fan Matthew Simmons, earning himself community service after an appearance in court and a nine-month ban from the FA.
It's an iconic moment, but Cantona was leaving the pitch after being sent-off for kicking out at the Crystal Palace defender, just moments after the enigmatic Frenchman had been tackled from behind by Shaw.
Now, 24 years on, Shaw has defended his role in the incident and insisted accusations he was winding Cantona up during the game are not true.
Shaw, who is now Under-23s coach at Crystal Palace, has "nothing but respect" for United, despite the incident with Cantona and what followed.
"I want to share my thoughts on Manchester United. In the past, a lot has been said about me and United because that night Eric Cantona had his altercation with a Palace supporter, he’d just been sent off for kicking me," Shaw told the United website.
"The story goes that I’d been kicking him all over the pitch all night long, so I provoked him into getting sent off, then the thing with the fan happened, so it was all my fault. That’s just not true. Believe me, I’ve watched the whole game back and I wasn’t doing anything out of order.
"I have absolutely no issue with Manchester United; nothing but respect for such a great club. When the fixtures come out, United are the first club you look for. It was the same when I was a player. Those guys: Giggs, Kanchelskis, Cantona, Hughes, Ince, Keane… I could go on and on. That football club has always been incredible."
