Manchester United suffered a heavy 4-0 defeat to a rampant Crystal Palace that added to manager Erik ten Hag woes.
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United were swatted aside with ease at Selhurst Park on Monday, with Michael Olise scoring twice in a superb performance from the 14th-placed Eagles, whose fantastic form under Oliver Glasner continued as they did the league double over United for the first time in Premier League history while it is their biggest win over them since 1972.
Olise opened the scoring early on before Jean-Philippe Mateta doubled Palace's lead before half-time – Tyrick Mitchell getting in on the act just prior to the hour.
Casemiro's calamitous error resulted in Olise hammering in a sublime long-range strike to compound United’s misery, and the Red Devils, who face Premier League leaders Arsenal on Sunday, are in real danger of missing out on the European places as they sit in eight place, behind Chelsea on goal difference and two points further adrift of sixth-place Newcastle United.
| Position Pos | Club | Played Pl | GD | Points Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 |
Spurs
TOT
|
38 | +13 | 66 |
| 6 |
Chelsea
CHE
|
38 | +14 | 63 |
| 7 |
Newcastle
NEW
|
38 | +23 | 60 |
| 8 |
Man Utd
MUN
|
38 | -1 | 60 |
How the match unfolded
United's makeshift defence was left exposed just 12 minutes in – Olise able to skip easily beyond Casemiro's challenge, drive into the box and, under little pressure, send a finish into the bottom-right corner.
Olise might have doubled his tally soon after, but Mateta could not get out of the way of his team-mate's goal-bound strike.
United seemed to have made their luck count when a goalmouth scramble resulted in the ball nestling into the back of Dean Henderson's net, but it was disallowed for Rasmus Hojlund's challenge on the Palace goalkeeper.
Olise squandered a brilliant chance to make it 2-0 when he elected to try and round Andre Onana at the other end, but the Eagles soon had their second when Mateta brilliantly slammed home from a tight angle after evading Jonny Evans.
Casemiro saw a goal ruled out for offside in the 53rd minute, but United's resolve was soon broken again as Palace swiftly reasserted their dominance.
Following two fine Onana saves, Mitchell tucked in from close range after United failed to clear their lines from a set-piece.
It was 4-0 in the 66th minute – Casemiro again at fault as he capitulated under pressure from Daniel Munoz. He teed up Olise, who curled a powerful effort down the centre of Onana’s goal to cap a famous win for Palace, who hit the woodwork late on through Odsonne Edouard.
Palace's perfect night
While the attention will rightly be on just how bad United were, plaudits have to go to Palace. They have now won four of their last five league matches, scoring 13 goals in that run, and it has included victories over Liverpool, Newcastle and now Man Utd.
Palace may be destined for a mid-table finish this season, with this win all but ensuring they cannot be caught by Everton below them, but there is a real sense of excitement around Selhurst Park ahead of next season, with Glasner's feet now firmly under the table.
The Eagles are now unbeaten in four straight home league matches against United, who they have completed the double over for the first time.
While Olise starred, Mateta's thumping second was a real highlight, too. He has scored in each of Glasner's first six home Premier League matches, becoming the first player to do so in the competition since Alan Shearer for Kevin Keegan in 1996/97 at Newcastle (first nine matches).
| Position Pos | Club | Played Pl | GD | Points Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 |
Crystal Palace
CRY
|
38 | -1 | 49 |
| 11 |
Brighton
BHA
|
38 | -7 | 48 |
| 12 |
Bournemouth
BOU
|
38 | -13 | 48 |
| 13 |
Fulham
FUL
|
38 | -6 | 47 |
| 14 |
Wolves
WOL
|
38 | -15 | 46 |
Problems pile up for Ten Hag
Harry Maguire and Bruno Fernandes joined United’s lengthy injury list in the build-up to this match, but even with those absences, United's fragility exposed deeper-rooted issues than just injuries.
Their defending was poor in the first half, with Olise offered the freedom of Selhurst Park for his opener, as Casemiro, making his 50th Premier League appearance, and Evans struggled to cope – Kobbie Mainoo and Christian Eriksen offering little protection ahead of them.
United have now shipped 81 goals in 48 encounters in all competitions this season, their most in a single campaign since 1976/77 (also 81).
With Arsenal, fellow European hopefuls Newcastle and then Brighton & Hove Albion still to play, those defensive frailties are a scary proposition for Ten Hag, who cut a glum figure on the touchline, and his team’s hopes of qualifying for a UEFA competition through their league placing is now out of their hands, given Chelsea are now above them.
Club reports
Crystal Palace report | Man Utd report
Final Premier League fixtures
Key facts
Crystal Palace have won three successive Premier League encounters at Selhurst Park for the first time since October 2022, while they’ve unbeaten in their last five matches in the competition for the first time since April 2022.
Manchester United 13 losses in the Premier League this season is their most in a league campaign since 1989/90 (16 defeats), while their 18 defeats in all competitions this term is their most since 1977/78 (19).
Since Glasner’s first Premier League match in charge of Palace (24th February), Mateta is just the second player in the competition to reach 10 goals, behind only Cole Palmer (11). Indeed, he’s now scored in each of his last six home league encounters (8 goals), after netting only five goals in his first 37 such matches in the competition.
This is Palace’s biggest Premier League win since beating Leeds United 5-1 in April 2023, while it’s their biggest on home soil in the competition since a 5-0 victory over Leicester City in April 2018.