Michael Olise's brace powered Crystal Palace to stun United by 4-0 

Erik ten Hag admits that Manchester United suffered a major blow on all fronts after being destroyed by Crystal Palace in the Premier League. But at the same time, the coach is reluctant to discuss his future. Red Devils swallowed a bitter pill when they visited Palace headquarters in the 36th match of the 2023/24 Premier League while playing at Selhurst Park on Monday(06th May 2024), the Visitors lost badly with a score of 4-0.

Michael Olise was the star in this match thanks to his two goals while helping Palace achieve two league wins over the Red Devils for the first time in their history. Meanwhile, the other two goals were scored by Jean-Philippe Mateta and Tyrick Mitchell. With this result, Man United remains in eighth place with 54 points from 35 matches, two points behind Newcastle in sixth place, with their hopes of playing in European competition next season fading. The defeat to Palace was Man United's 13th defeat in the league, the worst defeat in Premier League history, and it was the third time they had lost by four or more goals away from home in the league.

And Ten Hag admitted that their latest performance was far from expectations. "This was a bad performance and we lost [on all fronts]. We didn't play the way we wanted and it wasn't good enough. We are very disappointed," said Ten Hag. "It was a goal that shouldn't have happened because we gave clear instructions on how we should defend. They didn't bring it up the pitch. We felt devastated. "There was one problem but also on the left side, there were two players stuck together with one player. It was very bad defending. "Our fans were behind us throughout the game, we should have kept fighting like the fans did."

The Red Devils have struggled with injury problems throughout the season especially at the back, with Harry Maguire and club captain Bruno Fernandes joining the long list of absentees against Palace. Ten Hag highlighted his lack of defensive options but made no excuses for the poor performance. "There are always reasons. Everyone looks at our back line, we have big problems, but in the end, we have to face them. We should have performed better than we did," continued Ten Hag. "We know [how damaging it can be], but we have nine points to play for, so we have to fight to get nine points."

There has been much speculation regarding Ten Hag's future after a disappointing second season in charge, with just one year left on his contract. Asked about his future, the Dutch coach was reluctant to answer this and he was only focused on bringing Man United to a better place. "I don't think about that. I prepared the team the best way I could. We had a lot of problems. "So far it's not good enough, I have to take responsibility for that. But I will find the energy and prepare them for Sunday's game. "The only focus I have is to perform better with my team. I will continue to fight."