It was the perfect night - Djuric

The striker has been out for six months since picking up a groin injury. He played only 45 minutes of pre-season football before requiring a second operation.

The forward replaced Famara Diédhiou in the first half against the Eagles on Tuesday night, scoring City's second goal with only his first shot.

He told BCTV: "I am very happy because I am back in the team, back in the stadium, we have won and because I scored. That's very important and I want to thank the Bristol City staff for helping me in my recovery. I am very happy for myself, the team and our fans who made it a great atmosphere.

"I worked hard all through the summer, I was always here working hard and I am happy to be back with the team. I's not easy to get back into the team because they are playing well.

"I think we played very well. It was not an easy start because Crystal Palace scored the first goal but we had an incredible reaction and we fought every ball. We battled a lot with them and I think it was the perfect night for us."

Reflecting on six months off the pitch, he added: "It was very hard, very frustrating because I had two surgeries in my groin. Now I feel 50 to 60% ready. I need more time to be fit but I'm always positive because Bristol City is a good opportunity for me and I'm happy to be here and I hope to feel better in the future."

City will go into the Carabao Cup quarter-final draw with every chance of being matched against another Premier League side.

And the Bosnian international would like to go head to head against Jose Mourinho's Manchester United.

"Maybe Manchester United because of Zlatan Ibrahimovic, he has been my idol," he said.