Crystal Palace Thrash Man Utd 4-0 To Leave Ten Hag’s Future In Doubt

Published

2 years ago

May 6, 2024

Manchester United are at risk of failing to qualify for Europe next season after a dismal 4-0 thrashing at Crystal Palace left the Red Devils eighth in the Premier League.

Michael Olise scored twice, either side of goals from the in-form Jean-Philippe Mateta and Tyrick Mitchell, as the Eagles’ resurgence since the appointment of Oliver Glasner as manager continues.

The time for a change of boss at Old Trafford could be coming soon as Erik ten Hag fails to arrest a slide in his second season in charge.

United have only been absent from European competition once since the 1989-90 season.

That came after finishing seventh in David Moyes’ sole campaign 10 years ago and the Scot was sacked with four games of the season to go.

United have never come lower than seventh in the Premier League era but are staring that possibility in the face with title-chasing Arsenal to come at Old Trafford on Sunday.

Ten Hag has routinely cited injury problems as mitigation for his side’s struggles.

The Dutchman was forced to cobble together a makeshift backline as Casemiro deputised out of position at centre-back, alongside 36-year-old Jonny Evans.

Captain Bruno Fernandes was also absent as his proud record of never missing a club game in his career due to injury came to an end.

But there was little excuse for the lack of fight or quality on show from a United side, whose sole Premier League win in their last seven games came against relegated Sheffield United.

Palace are unbeaten in their last five as former Eintracht Frankfurt boss Glasner’s project takes shape.

The south London club will have to ward off interest in Olise and Eberechi Eze if they are to kick on to even better things under the Austrian next season.

Olise has attracted interest from United, Manchester City and Chelsea and showed why as he eased through the middle of the visitors’ defence before firing low past Andre Onana.

United failed to muster even a single shot on target in the first half but were unfortunate not to level against the run of play.

Casemiro’s looping header dropped into the net after Rasmus Hojlund clashed with Palace goalkeeper Dean Henderson and was harshly penalised for a push.

But a two-goal half-time lead was the least Palace’s superiority deserved.

Mateta has been a man transformed under Glasner and hammered home his ninth goal in 11 games after skipping past the leaden-footed Evans with ease.

There was no response from United after the break on a night which could be the final straw for the club’s new leadership group when deciding Ten Hag’s future.

Some heroics from Onana briefly kept the scoreline down as he saved from Eze, Will Hughes and Mitchell in quick succession.

But he was powerless to deny Mitchell a rare goal from close range as United were cut open from a set-piece.

Onana was then caught out by the power of Olise’s strike that flew past the Cameroonian.

The margin of the defeat took United’s goal difference to -3 which tells the tale of a sorry season for the 20-time English champions.

The FA Cup final against Manchester City offers Ten Hag one last shot at redemption, should he survive in charge until on May 25.

However, based on this evidence, United fans will fear double-chasing City could run riot at Wembley to inflict the ultimate humiliation.

AFP

Related Topics:Crystal Palace Man Utd Ten Hag

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Fernandez Named In Scottish Premiership Team Of The Season

Published

5 days ago

April 17, 2026

Editor

Emmanuel Fernandez has been named in the Scottish Premiership Team of the Season, according to DAILY POST.

Fernandez was recognised by his fellow professionals for an outstanding campaign at the the heart of the Rangers defence.

The 24-year-old has made 28 appearances across all competitions for the Light Blues.

The centre-back is the only Rangers players in the selection.

He arrived the Ibrox from English League One club, Peterborough United last summer.

The defender also made his debut for Nigeria against Iran last month.

Super Eagles: How I Chose Nigeria Over England – Iwobi Opens Up

Published

5 days ago

April 17, 2026

Editor

Alex Iwobi, has talked about how he chose to play for the Super Eagles.

On the Beast Mode On podcast, Iwobi talked about how former Arsenal coach Arsene Wenger told him to think carefully about his choices, like maybe waiting to play for England’s senior team.

Although Iwobi played for England in various youth teams, his development slowed because he didn’t get much chance to play for Arsenal’s main team.

However, his career changed when Nigeria invited him to join their Olympic team. After talking with his family, Iwobi decided to look into the opportunity.

He said, “I began playing for Nigeria when I was 19. I was playing for the England Under-16, Under-17, and Under-18 teams, but then my opportunities slowed down because I wasn’t getting regular first-team action at Arsenal, which is tough.

“Everyone else who played for the England U21 team was usually playing first-team football in the Championship or League One regularly, starting games and building their reputation. And I wasn’t really that person back then.

“Then I started playing for Arsenal. At that time, Gareth Southgate was the manager of the U21 team. The Arsenal first-team manager talked to him and said, ‘We are considering bringing you up to the first team, but we want you to play for the U21s.’

“That’s when Nigeria got in touch, saying they wanted him to play in the Olympics. I talked to my dad and uncle, and they said at least give Nigeria a try. If you don’t enjoy the training or the facilities, you can just say you tried it out.”

The former Everton midfielder talked about his first experiences in the Nigerian team, mentioning that the conditions were basic but that he felt a strong sense of being part of the group.

“I then went to Nigeria… you have to wash your own kit. The pitch was half grass, and the AstroTurf was outside the playing area, as if it had just been set up. The coach, if you make one bad pass, he’ll say, ‘What’s wrong with you now?’ I remember one guy passed the ball off the pitch and they made him run two laps. I was thinking, “This is mad.”

“I was having a good time. The food was clearly jollof rice; we had yam and egg for breakfast. I just felt I was at home. I hadn’t even established a reputation at Arsenal, but they already knew about me. I was stopped at the airport and celebrated. The love for the game was high.”

The key moment happened when he got called up for a match against Egypt.
Wenger, according to Iwobi, let him make the final decision.

“I was still working on getting the FIFA clearance sorted. I wasn’t able to play in the knockout games to get a spot in the Olympics, but I still went to watch and be part of the team. The away fans came with instruments and started making a lot of noise. I felt like I was back home—this is where I’m meant to be,” he said.

“There came a point when I was needed for Nigeria’s senior team, so they invited me to play against Egypt. Wenger said, ‘What do you want to do? You can delay it so you can think about England, or you can go and represent Nigeria.’

“Because of the experience I had, I wanted to go and represent Nigeria. He (Wenger) said they would support me and wished me all the best.

“I enjoy playing for England because the team has a strict system, stays disciplined, and has some of the top players in the world. But Nigeria is always fun. You never know if something will turn out well or not.”

Iwobi first played for the Super Eagles in October 2015, during a friendly match against the DR Congo national team in Visé, Belgium.

Since that time, he has become an important player for Nigeria, playing 98 matches and scoring 10 goals.

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EPL: Arteta Confirms Two Arsenal Players That Will Miss Man City Clash

Published

5 days ago

April 17, 2026

Editor

Arsenal manager, Mikel Arteta, has revealed Bukayo Saka will be unavailable for their Premier League trip to Manchester City on Sunday.

Saka has been out of action since the Gunners lost 2-0 to the Gunners in the Carabao Cup on March 22.

The 24-year-old winger is yet to recover from a suspected achilles problem and will not face City this weekend.

Mikel Merino will also not make a return from a broken foot, even though he is no longer wearing a protective boot.

“Bukayo is out. That is for sure,” Arteta told reporters on Friday.

“With B, we are handling it to protect the play first of all and then to perform as well as he possibly can.

“He’s just starting to do some stuff so let’s see that progression, how quickly we can go through it and then wait. But at the moment it’s not available.

“Bukayo is out, that’s for sure, Mikel is out as well.

“We will have a solution, whatever happens. We are so used to this, this season. Whatever happens, we will have the right solution.”