Man Utd lost 0-4 at Crystal Palace, in the late match of round 36 of the Premier League on May 6.

The storm of injuries hit Manchester United as they visited Selhurst Park with a makeshift lineup. Facing an in-form opponent, Erik ten Hag’s men endured a tough battle for over 90 minutes, conceding four goals. This defeat sees Manchester United drop to eighth place after this round, trailing behind Chelsea and facing the risk of missing out on a European Cup spot via the Premier League.

If they fail to improve their standings, Manchester United’s only remaining chance is securing a spot in the Europa League by defeating Manchester City in the FA Cup final on May 25th. However, this seems highly unlikely if key players fail to recover in time. Against Crystal Palace, Manchester United was without two leaders, Bruno Fernandes and Harry Maguire, while also lacking a proper center-back and left-back.

Evans, Casemiro and Eriksen (from left to right) were stunned after Man Utd’s defeat at Selhurst Park on May 6.

Jonny Evans had to play through the pain, while Casemiro was dropped back to center-back and Aaron Wan-Bissaka was deployed on the left flank despite being more accustomed to playing as a right-back. With this reshuffle, the away team could only hold on for 12 minutes. Michael Olise comfortably dribbled through the midfield, then unleashed a powerful shot from the edge of the penalty area to beat Andre Onana.

In just the first half, Olise had two other clear chances but failed to add to the scoreline. The dynamic trio of Olise, Eberechi Eze, and Jean-Philippe Mateta in the attack made Crystal Palace almost every time they went forward. Also from a break, Mateta scored against Manchester United to make it 2-0 at the end of the half.

Each individual from Manchester United appeared slower and weaker compared to the home team. The away side grew increasingly feeble as the game progressed, with their morale dwindling after each conceded goal. They suffered two more goals in the second half, from a powerful strike by Tyrick Mitchell and another goal from Olise. The scoreline almost reached 5-0 when substitute forward Odsonne Edouard hit the post in injury time.

Crystal Palace players celebrate the opening goal with Olise (Num. 7)

The shaky defense and lackluster attack of Man Utd only left a mark with two disallowed goals by Rasmus Hojlund and Casemiro, evenly split in each half. Hojlund fouled goalkeeper Dean Henderson, while Casemiro was ruled offside after putting the ball into the net.

Under Erik ten Hag’s guidance, the team suffered their 13th defeat in the league, the most in their Premier League history. Conceding 81 goals across all competitions also marks Manchester United’s worst defensive record in 47 years, with the season yet to conclude.