Crystal Palace Stun Manchester United with 4-0 Victory at Selhurst Park
Crystal Palace humiliated Manchester United with a blistering display at Selhurst Park that leaves Erik ten Hag’s position with the Red Devils on a knife edge. The hosts started as the better side and dominated possession from kick-off. Michael Olise opened the scoring in the 12th minute, cutting inside Casemiro and slotting home from inside the box. From there, Palace never looked back.
Jean-Philippe Mateta continued his amazing home form by darting in behind and blasting a strike past Andre Onana as United’s defense fell apart repeatedly. The second half brought more goals. From a short corner, Adam Wharton picked out Joachim Andersen at the far post who turned the ball across to Tyrick Mitchell for a tap-in. Olise then scored his second, Palace’s fourth, after Casemiro – who had a night to forget – was dispossessed deep in his own half. Daniel Munoz squared a pass, and Olise rocketed a strike from range past Onana again.
The timid manner of United’s defeat will only raise more questions over Ten Hag’s suitability as the new owners look to make changes in the summer. Crystal Palace have now won three successive Premier League games at Selhurst Park for the first time since October 2022, while they are unbeaten in their last five matches in the league for the first time since April 2022. This is Crystal Palace’s biggest Premier League win since beating Leeds United 5-1 in April 2023 and their biggest win at Selhurst Park in the league since April 2018, when they beat Leicester 5-0.
Since Oliver Glasner’s first Premier League game in charge of Crystal Palace on 24 February, Jean-Philippe Mateta is just the second player in the competition to reach 10 goals, behind Cole Palmer. Manchester United have set a new club record for most defeats in a Premier League campaign with 13.
In post-match comments, Crystal Palace boss Oliver Glasner expressed satisfaction with his team's performance, highlighting their defensive solidity and attacking prowess. On the other hand, Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag admitted the team's underperformance and vowed to keep fighting despite the disappointing result.
The victory cements Crystal Palace's resurgence under Glasner's management and raises serious concerns for Manchester United's future under ten Hag's leadership. As the season nears its end, the Red Devils face an uphill battle to secure European qualification, while Palace's strong form positions them well for a positive finish in the league.
