(Football news) The Eagles were easily defeated by Manchester United last time around by a score of 3-0, and they are now looking to end the month on a high by earning their third straight victory across all competitions.
After a terrible start to September that saw Man United lose three straight games and let up 10 goals, they have now stabilised the situation with two significant victories against Burnley in the Premier League and Palace in the EFL Cup without answering.
Alejandro Garnacho, Casemiro, and Anthony Martial scored to help the EFL Cup holders defeat a powder puff Palace team and advance to the fourth round of the competition, where they will face last season’s beaten finalists Newcastle United (who eliminated Manchester City) at the end of October. The Red Devils managed to defeat Burnley with a hard-fought 1-0 victory last weekend, but they cruised to victory against a Burnley-like Palace team.
While preparing for the second of four straight home games in all competitions, including Saturday’s match against Palace, Galatasaray in the Champions League, and Brentford in the Premier League, Erik ten Hag believes that his team is improving and that there is “still a lot to come” from his players.
Man United will be eager to resume a strong home run after having their 31-game unbeaten home run in all competitions snapped by Brighton & Hove Albion two weeks ago. Man United is presently eighth in the Premier League table and five points behind the top four.
Given that they have triumphed in 13 of their last 16 top-flight home encounters with the Eagles, the Red Devils can be sure that their morale-boosting victory over Palace midweek will be followed by another victory on Saturday.
In the beginning of the new season, Crystal Palace had a solid start, earning seven points from their first four Premier League games and defeating Plymouth Argyle by a score of four to advance from the second round of the EFL Cup.
After losing 3-1 to Aston Villa and drawing 0-0 with Fulham at home, Roy Hodgson’s team has since lost their last three games in all competitions. On Tuesday, they were eliminated from the third round of the EFL Cup by Man United, despite having just 31% of the ball and only four shots on goal, with their first coming in the 67th minute.
Hodgson and company can now concentrate only on Premier League obligations until they can try their luck at the FA Cup in the New Year, with five of their next eight top-flight games taking place away from Selhurst Park. Many Eagles fans would have relished a run into the further stages of the EFL Cup.
Palace, who trail Man United in the Premier League standings by just one spot and one point, has had trouble claiming victories on the road, winning just three of their last 14 away games since the beginning of the year. Last season, they defeated relegated teams Leeds United and Southampton before picking up a narrow 1-0 victory at Sheffield United on the opening weekend of this campaign.
However, under Hodgson’s guidance, the Eagles have enjoyed success at Old Trafford with a spirited 0-0 draw in November 2018, a 2-1 victory in August 2019 and a 3-1 triumph in November 2020. Since then, however, Palace has lost its last two matches by a single goal, including a 2-1 defeat to the Red Devils in February.
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