A £155m shambles - Man United embarrassment defined by the worst signing in their history
Manchester United suffered humiliation at Selhurst Park on a night that all but signals the end of Erik ten Hag as the club's manager.
The 4-0 thrashing at the hands of Crystal Palace leaves United rooted to eighth in the Premier League and facing the nightmare scenario of failing to qualify for European competition next season. Michael Olise scored the first and last goals in an impressive Palace display, while Jean-Philippe Mateta and Tyrick Mitchell also found the back of the net.
It was the 13th Premier League defeat of the season for United, a Premier League club record, and with three games of the season to go their goal difference now stands at a dismal -3. Here's some of the key talking points from the hammering.
As soft as it gets
To concede from an opposition throw-in is never a good look. To concede from an opposition throw-in in their own half is disastrous. To do it twice in nine seconds in the same season suggests a team and a manager incapable of learning their lessons.
United have defended like amateurs at times this season and that is the ultimate proof that they are as soft as a Mr Whippy on a sunny Bank Holiday. They were the whipping boys in south London.
In the Sky Sports studio, former United captain Ashley Young lamented it as "crazy" and "shambolic" and even as he watched a replay he could hardly believe what he was seeing.
It took Galatasaray nine seconds to make it 2-2 at Old Trafford in the Champions League earlier this season. It was arguably the goal that the group stage campaign turned on and it was just so, so easy. Having seen something so fundamentally embarrassing happen once, you would think it would be impossible for history to repeat itself. Not for this United side.
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In a game where they were always going to be up against it, they needed to show resilience at Selhurst Park. Instead, the opener was a gift. Daniel Munoz's throw found its way to Michael Olise and Casemiro made a poor decision in flying out and then being outfoxed by the winger.
Olise initially looked for a pass then but Jonny Evans backed off so far it made the decision for him and his finish from 15 yards was relatively simple.
When Munoz took the throw-in, around 10 yards inside his own half, there were five United players either pretty level with the throw or ahead of the ball. That is a structural failing and this is a manager that looks incapable of fixing the problems within his team. Change is impossible to avoid.
Olise vs Antony
United's links to Olise are bad news for Antony. United's need for a right-winger isn't obvious unless it's felt that neither the Brazilian nor Amad are cut out for the role. It wouldn't be a drastic conclusion to reach.
Giving up on the £85million Antony would be quite the call but he isn't influencing games to the degree that he should be. In fact, he's nowhere near the level he should be for that level of investment.
Comparing him to Olise in this game is probably a little harsh, given one winger was playing in a team that looked comfortable in their own skin and the other was playing in a mess of a football team. But Olise really was excellent.
His skill to skin Casemiro for the opener was good and the finish was confident. He was smooth on the ball every time he got it and drifted across the pitch to offer a regular threat. His second again reflected poorly on Casemiro, as well as Andre Onana this time, but he was outstanding.
As for Antony, his wasted pass and then exasperated reaction just before he went off summed it up. Against Sheffield United two weeks ago he was subbed off after 55 minutes when his team were losing 2-1. Here he was withdrawn after an hour when they were losing 3-0. Given the fee paid for him, he is undoubtedly the worst signing in Manchester United's history.
Casemiro calamity
For a team able to field a multiple Premier League winner as their fifth-choice centre-back it is remarkable how stretched United have been in that area this season. Jonny Evans might be 36 now and he has played far more than expected this season.
At Selhurst Park he played alongside Casemiro for the first time this season, forming the 14th different central defensive pairing that Ten Hag has fielded. When Evans returned to training last week it looked like Casemiro would return to midfield, but then came Harry Maguire's training ground injury.
That injury always looked like bad news and so it proved. Casemiro's performance at Selhurst Park was disastrous and will surely have reinforced the idea that his Old Trafford career must come to an end this summer.
It shouldn't be forgotten that he was excellent last season, but handing five-year deals to players in their 30s is considered bad practice for a reason. United are now stuck with a 32-year-old whose career is on a rapid descent, earning around £350,000-a-week with two years left on his contract. That is a nightmare scenario for Ineos.
Glasner the example
A few Premier League clubs had considered Oliver Glasner before Crystal Palace made their move for the 49-year-old Austrian and his appointment should be an example to United of what a good head coach can achieve.
A team struggling to entertain under Roy Hodgson are now one of the best to watch in the Premier League. Glasner has benefitted from the return from injury of some key players but his fingerprints are all over this team already and he's only been in charge for 12 games.
While Olise was the main man on Monday night, Palace are a delight to watch going forward and Eberechi Eze would improve almost any time in the Premier League.
Conceding for fun
This was the 15th time this season that United had conceded three goals or more. It was the fourth time they have conceded four times in a game this season and the seventh time they have done so in 110 games under Ten Hag. To put that into context, it happened six times in 168 games under Ole Gunnar Solskaer.
This is a team with a remarkably soft centre and one that loses in shame far too often. The most depressing thing on Monday night was that it was all so predictable. Yes, United have a nightmare injury scenario this season, but they are a disaster tactically and that is on the manager.