It was another embarrassing day at the office for Erik ten Hag, as his Manchester United fell to a crushing 4-0 defeat to Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park on Matchday 35 of the 2023-24 Premier League season. Monday’s (May 6) result took Manchester United to an unwanted milestone, as it was the first time they had lost 13 league games in a Premier League season. Even if United win all three of their remaining games, they will finish the season with 63 points — their lowest-ever league haul in history.
To put the cherry on top, United have conceded 81 goals so far across competitions, marking their worst performance since 1976.
Crystal Palace Were A Class Above Hapless Manchester United
Coming into the game with a four-game unbeaten streak in the Premier League, eighth-placed Manchester United were expected at least to put up a fight against 14th-placed Crystal Palace. Unfortunately for fans in the away stand, the Red Devils simply could not hold a candle to the spirited Palace and deservedly suffered one of the worst defeats under Ten Hag.
In the 12th minute, Michael Olise got the ball from Daniel Munoz, skipped past Casemiro, and dribbled into the Manchester United box. He opened up a bit of room just beyond the ‘D’ and let fly with a left-footed effort, beating Andre Onana comfortably and sending the ball into the bottom-right corner. Six minutes before half-time, Jean-Philippe Mateta made it 2-0 for Palace, breezing past Jonny Evans before dashing down the left-inside channel and thumping the ball home.
The Eagles flexed their muscles once more in the 58th minute, and once again, United failed to deal with the threat. Adam Wharton swung an inviting cross from the right, aiming to find Joachim Anderson at the far post. The defender failed to make clean contact under challenge from Diogo Dalot, but he poked the ball toward Tyrick Mitchell, who tucked it away to make it 3-0 for Palace.
In the 65th minute, Palace completed the routing, breaching United’s lackluster defense for the fourth time on the night. Munoz dispossessed a hapless Casemiro on the byline before pulling it back for Olise who came barging into the edge of the box. The Manchester United-linked attacker took a couple of touches to set himself up before curling the ball into the back of the net.
Casemiro Played His Worst Game In United’s Colors On Monday
Casemiro, who won five UEFA Champions League trophies with Real Madrid, produced one of his worst-ever performances on Monday night. Playing as a center-back, the Brazilian looked uncomfortable throughout the game and had a role to play in both of Olise’s goals. For Olise’s first, Casemiro was a tad too aggressive and heavy-footed, which allowed the Palace star to simply dodge his tackle and exploit the space he left behind.
The mistake he committed in the 65th minute was worse, as he was completely in control of the ball but still lost it to Munoz. To make it even more embarrassing, the Brazil international comically tripped and demanded a foul instead of charging back and trying to rectify his mistake.
Over the course of the game, the 32-year-old misplaced nine long balls, was dribbled past a whopping seven times, lost nine ground duels, and committed a foul. After Monday’s performance, Sir Jim Ratcliffe and INEOS might think long and hard about keeping the ex-Madrid around for one more season.
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