Summary:
- One change for Palace as Eze replaces Ayew
- Guéhi returns to squad on bench
- Superb Olise run and finish breaks the deadlock after 15 minutes
- Clyne makes excellent block from Mount moments later
- Olise goes twice in quick succession
- Visitors have goal disallowed as Højlund fouls Henderson
- Olise denied by Onana after closing down Mainoo
- Mateta smashes Palace into a two-goal lead before half-time
- HT: Palace 2-0 Man Utd
- Eze half-volleys at Onana from Clyne’s cross
- Casemiro bundles in a rebound from an offside position; goal chalked off
- Eze strokes wide, Mitchell denied from narrow angle and Hughes denied by Onana
- Mitchell sweeps in a third just before the hour
- Henderson denies Casemiro from point-blank range
- Olise smashes home a fourth after superb work from Muñoz
- Guéhi makes late appearance from the bench
- Edouard curls against the post in stoppage time
- FT: Palace 4-0 Man Utd
Palace were seeking not only a first-ever double against Manchester United, but their first sequence of three consecutive home victories since October 2022.
Oliver Glasner made one change to their starting XI with Ebere Eze, back from injury, returning to the side in place of Jordan Ayew. Marc Guéhi – absent since early February –
In truth, with a confident Palace in full flow against an out-of-sorts United team, their victory never seemed in doubt from the early stages as – spurred on by another red-hot atmosphere at Selhurst Park – the Eagles were sharper to every loose ball.
While there were no chances in the opening quarter-of-an-hour, the only real menace stemmed from Palace – and when the first goal arrived, it did so from a familiar source.
Collecting the ball from Daniel Muñoz on the halfway line, Michael Olise side-stepped the onrushing Christian Eriksen, pushed it past a sliding Casemiro and drove towards the box. With every white shirt backing off, he continued to drive and – from just inside the area, with time to shoot – screwed a low finish across the goalkeeper and into the bottom-right corner.
It was Olise’s 12th goal involvement – five goals, seven assists – in just his last nine home starts in the Premier League – and the threat did not die down there.
There was one moment of concern for Palace in the opening 20 minutes when the visitors finally did string together a few passes, Antony fizzing a ball into the path of Mason Mount 12 yards out – but Nathaniel Clyne ran out rapidly to charge down the strike.
Moments later, Olise went close twice in quick succession: his first effort from a Muñoz pull-back hit Mateta on its way through, and his second, from Tyrick Mitchell’s lay-off, was too close to Andre Onana.
On the half-hour mark, Man Utd thought they had pulled level from a corner as Casemiro, stationed at the back post, headed high into the air and, with Rasmus Højlund and Dean Henderson both vying for it, the ball dropped straight in. The referee, however, ruled that the Denmark forward, who had all the momentum in the challenge, had fouled the Palace ‘keeper with his shoulder.
Seconds later, another chance for Olise as the forward successfully closed down Kobbie Mainoo. From a tight angle, however, Onana admittedly did well to delay the Palace forward’s progress, and in the end won it off him after forcing him wide.
Then, on the stroke of half-time, the second goal for Palace – and a fully-deserved one at that.
After Ebere Eze won the ball back in midfield and Chris Richards played it forwards early, Mateta controlled, feinted to pass towards Olise, but drove on the outside, flummoxing Jonny Evans.
Surging into the box, the Palace forward elected – from a tight angle – to smash a rising drive goalwards. He caught his effort superbly as it soared beyond Onana. Having netted in all of Glasner’s previous matches at Selhurst Park, it was Mateta’s sixth consecutive home goal for Palace – setting a top-flight club record in the process.
A dominant scoreline to reflect a dominant display – and it only continued after the half-time whistle.
Palace players were creating chances at will: Eze caught a half-volley from Clyne’s flat cross, but was denied by Onana, and seconds later placed an effort narrowly wide of the goal after a delightful one-two with Olise on the edge of the box.
Casemiro did have the ball in the net for Man Utd after heading against the post from a free-kick and bundling in the rebound, but he was well offside.
The chances kept flowing for Palace: Tyrick Mitchell was denied by Onana from a tight angle, Will Hughes also saw a looping half-volley turned away by the visiting goalkeeper, and then: the third.
Mitchell was the man to get it, not to be denied: Adam Wharton swept in an inviting cross, Joachim Andersen stole in at the back post and – with Diogo Dalot unaware of his presence – prodded the ball across the six-yard block for the Palace No. 3 to slam home.
Palace were toying with their visitors – and moments after Henderson produced a superb point-blank save to deny Casemiro’s header from a corner, they scored a spectacular fourth.
This one owed much to Muñoz who – with Casemiro boxed in near his own corner flag – picked the Brazilian’s pocket, playing it back to Olise in the corner of the box. The winger lifted his head and, in one swift motion, rifled into the top corner to send Selhurst Park bouncing.
There was even the late joy of seeing Guéhi play his first competitive minutes since 3rd February, as he emerged from the bench with 13 minutes left to play.
Palace continued to carve out opportunities, with Muñoz and Olise both having close-range efforts blocked against an opposition devoid of much spirit or fight at that stage.
As the game ticked into stoppage time, Muñoz was denied a first Palace strike by a goal-saving Aaron Wan-Bissaka challenge, and Odsonne Edouard’s curler hit the frame of the goal before bouncing clear. Four would have to do.
Four goals, a clean sheet and a first-ever league double against Manchester United: a perfect night for a perfect Palace.
Palace: Henderson (GK), Clyne (Guéhi, 78), Andersen, Richards, Muñoz, Wharton, Hughes (Riedewald, 67), Mitchell, Olise (Schlupp, 85), Eze (Ayew, 85), Mateta (Edouard, 67).
Subs: Matthews (GK), Ward, Ahamada, Rak-Sakyi.
Manchester United: Onana (GK), Wan-Bissaka, Casemiro, Evans, Dalot, Mainoo, Eriksen, Mount (Diallo, 80), Antony (Amrabat, 60), Højlund (Wheatley, 80), Garnacho.
Subs: Bayindir (GK), Heaton (GK), Collyer, Amass, Ogunneye, Jackson.