Battle for Europe: Chelsea’s chances boosted after Man Utd’s horror at Palace
Chelsea’s bid to secure European football for next season has received a major boost following Manchester United’s disastrous 4-0 defeat to Crystal Palace on Monday night.
The Eagles’ rampant performance at Selhurst Park extended their unbeaten streak to five games and dealt a significant blow to United’s Europa League aspirations.
The writing was on the wall early for Erik ten Hag’s side as Michael Olise broke the deadlock inside the opening quarter of an hour.
“I think it’s a good night. Obviously, we’ve been working hard and focusing on ourselves and we know what we can bring to the table when we’re at home. The fans were behind us so I just thought, ‘let’s go. It could’ve been [a hat-trick]. Probably [should have been],” man of the match winner, Olise said after the game.
Jean-Philippe Mateta then doubled Palace’s lead shortly before half-time, netting his ninth goal in 11 Premier League games.
“Congratulations – but always stay humble. We know it is not so long ago when we struggled with relegation, just five points away, but now we’ve found ourselves and the players have confidence. That is what we want to read. We are doing well, but we still have a lot to improve.” Palace manager Oliver Glasner remarked.
The second half was no better for United, as Tyrick Mitchell etched himself onto the scoresheet before Olise doubled his tally for the evening with a brilliant strike to seal the game for Palace.
With three games left to play, a lot could still change, but Chelsea’s hopes of securing European football have been significantly boosted by United’s horror show at Selhurst Park.
Premier League
Only the top four teams in the Premier League will advance to the redesigned competition for the following season, since Italy and Germany have earned the extra Champions League qualifying spots. To join Arsenal, Manchester City, and Liverpool, Aston Villa need to pick up three more points from their final two games.
A report by Sport Central Audience Writer, Jake Stokes, noted, “Only Tottenham Hotspur can rival Unai Emery’s side for a place in the top four. Fifth place will qualify for next season’s Europa League, with the team going straight into the new setup rather than playing any additional pre-qualifiers.
“While Chelsea trail Spurs in fifth by six points with only a few games to spare, fifth place remains possible. However, the Blues would have to rely on Newcastle, Manchester United AND Tottenham to drop points – which is unlikely.
