Manchester United, in slow motion for more than a month, left Crystal Palace with a severe defeat (4-0) and an 8e place in the Premier League, further compromising its chances of European qualification, Monday May 6. THE Red Devils (54 points) have won only one of their last seven matches, against the last Sheffield, a poor series which places them behind Newcastle (6e56 points) and Chelsea (7e54 points).
They still have to face Arsenal, Newcastle and Brighton between now and the end of the season, in addition to Manchester City in the FA Cup final on May 25, perhaps their best chance of clinching the Europa League, From now on. At Selhurst Park, they delivered a very poor performance under the eyes of Jean-Claude Blanc, the former general manager of PSG, recently appointed interim CEO of the most successful club in the Premier League.
Michael Olise, a jewel to show the way
Powerless in attack (two shots on target) in the absence of captain Bruno Fernandes, they especially completely collapsed in defense, a sector certainly decimated by injuries. All the central defenders (Maguire, Varane, Lindelöf, Martinez, Kambwala) were missing, with the exception of veteran Jonny Evans, who returned after a month of absence and associated with defensive midfielder Casemiro.
The two men had a nightmare evening against Palace, a team in great shape (four wins in five matches) and supported by some very talented individuals, notably Michael Olise. The French Espoirs international, born and raised in London, opened the scoring after bringing down Casemiro, containing the return of Kobbie Mainoo and taking advantage of a gaping hole in the defense (12′, 1-0).
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He did it again with a nice curling shot after a ball lost by Casemiro (66′, 4-0). In the meantime, Jean-Philippe Mateta cleared Evans, who was too static, and beat André Onana with the left from a tight angle (40′, 2-0). The ninth goal scored by the Frenchman in eleven matches played under the direction of Oliver Glasner, the Austrian coach appointed in February, was followed by that of Tyrick Mitchell (58′, 3-0).
