Exhausted Christian Eriksen struggled to compete in embarrassing defeat to Crystal Palace | OneFootball

Manchester United hit a new low this season, slumping to a devastating 4-0 to Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park on Monday night.

While a top-four Premier League finish may already have been out of reach, it’s now uncertain whether United will manage to qualify for Europe at all this season. The team is now in eighth place, losing ground to Newcastle United and Chelsea.

Despite retaining 57% possession, United were unable to show any attacking threat on the night, taking just seven shots, with two hitting the target.

Ultimately, it was the midfield that let United down, with Christian Eriksen struggling to make any positive impact on the match.

Taking just one shot that was blocked, Eriksen posed little to no attacking threat. With Bruno Fernandes absent through injury, it was up to Eriksen to take United’s free kicks on the night.

Unfortunately, he was largely unable to make an impact from set pieces, sending a shot over the wall but also over the crossbar before the half-time break.

In the second half, the Danish midfielder produced a promising free kick, crossing the ball to Casemiro whose header hit the post. While he managed to score the rebound, the goal was ruled offside.

Eriksen’s short-range passing was adequate, with the 32 year old completing 45 of his 55 passes for an 82% passing accuracy.

He also managed to complete all three of his attempted crosses, while four of his eight long balls found their target. The area where Eriksen struggled, however, was in defence.

Winning none of his three ground duels, Eriksen’s poor physicality came back to haunt him. He lost possession on 14 occasions while proving unable to make a single tackle.

Although he managed to block a shot, this one success would not be enough to overshadow his flaws.

Eriksen’s biggest slip-up of the game came in the 12th minute. As Michael Olise made himself available for a throw-in, Eriksen, who should have been marking him, allowed the Palace winger far too much free space. As a result, when Eriksen finally realised his error, Olise was away, dribbling past Casemiro and thumping the ball past Andre Onana to hand Palace their opening goal of the match.

He was also unable to complete a single dribble throughout the encounter.

Ultimately, Eriksen showed a severe lack of energy during his performance. Going forward, it appears as if the Dane may have a limited role in United’s future should he be unable to improve his stamina.

Stats courtesy of sofascore.com.

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