File picture of Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag holding the FA Cup trophy after his side defeated Manchester City in the final on May 25, 2024
| Photo Credit: Reuters

Erik ten Hag has signed a new contract with Manchester United to extend his stay at Old Trafford until 2026, the Premier League club said on Thursday as the Dutchman gets another chance to restore the record 20-times champions to former glories.

There had been speculation he would be sacked after United ended eighth last season — their lowest ever finish in the Premier League — and with British billionaire and INEOS chairman Jim Ratcliffe taking charge of football operations.

A shock victory over champions Manchester City in the FA Cup final, however, earned the 54-year-old Ten Hag a lifeline,

“Looking back at the past two years, we can reflect with pride on two trophies and many examples of progression from where we were when I joined,” he said in a statement.

“We must also be clear that there is still lots of hard work ahead to reach the levels expected of Manchester United, which means challenging for English and European titles.

“In my discussions with the club, we have found complete unity in our vision for reaching those goals, and we are strongly committed to making that journey together.”

Ten Hag’s contract had been set to expire at the end of the 2024-25 season but denying Manchester City a domestic double and qualifying for the Europa League earned him another chance.

“With two trophies in the past two seasons, Erik has reinforced his record as one of the most consistently successful coaches in European football,” the club’s Sporting Director Dan Ashworth said in a statement.

“While the club’s review of last season highlighted areas of improvement, it also reached a clear conclusion that Erik was the best partner for us to work with in driving up standards and outcomes.

“This group of players and staff have already shown they are capable of competing at the top level; now they have to do it more consistently.”

Despite winning two trophies, results and performances have fallen away dramatically despite more than 400 million pounds being spent on new players since Ten Hag took charge.

United struggled early in his first season, but Ten Hag instilled a sense of togetherness that had been missing since Alex Ferguson retired in 2013.

They enjoyed a nine-match winning run in all competitions, lifting the League Cup and finishing third in the Premier League.

The second season was much worse but United’s fan base largely stayed loyal to Ten Hag and sung his name loudly at Wembley in the Cup final as their team produced the best performance of his spell in charge.

Crystal Palace’s Tyrick Mitchell scores the side’s third goal against Manchester United in a Premier League match on May 6, 2024
| Photo Credit: Action Images via Reuters

Manchester United remain in eighth place on the Premier League table with 54 points from 35 games

Michael Olise scored a brace of goals as Crystal Palace completed a league double over Manchester United for the first time in their history with a thumping 4-0 victory at Selhurst Park on Monday that will add to the pressure on Erik ten Hag.

A makeshift United defence that included Casemiro at centre-back was easily picked apart by Palace on several occasions as Jean-Philippe Mateta and Tyrick Mitchell were also on the scoresheet in the impressive win.

United remain in eighth place with 54 points from 35 games, two points behind Newcastle United in sixth, with their hopes of European football next season fading fast. Palace are still in 14th with 43 points from 36 matches.

United had several injury absentees and were without Bruno Fernandes, the first time in his 230-game Old Trafford career he has missed a match with injury, but the ease with which they were beaten will be a huge concern for everyone at the club.

“A big disappointment. We just had an off-day and we weren’t in it,” midfielder Christian Eriksen told BBC. “It is what it is. We can’t really change the injury things. We have to do what we can on the pitch to change it.

“Today it didn’t matter who we played. Everyone could have done better. We tried to do what we could but we were not good enough. We’ll take the blame as players.”

It is the first time in the Premier League era United have lost 13 games in a season and the scoreline might have been worse.

The home side took the lead inside 12 minutes as Olise collected a throw and evaded a limp challenge from Casemiro. With no United player attempting to close him down, he was able to unleash a low shot from just inside the box.

It was 2-0 five minutes before the break as Mateta breezed past United defender Jonny Evans and thrashed the ball into the net for a ninth goal in 11 games since the arrival of Glasner in February.

The striker had scored 11 goals in his previous 80 games for Palace before that.

United’s makeshift defence was struggling to contain the movement of their hosts and when Diogo Dalot failed to deal with a ball to the back post, Mitchell had a tap-in.

Olise’s second goal added more salt to the wound and it could have been worse for the visitors as Odsonne Edouard saw his shot come back off the woodwork late on.

“I think we could have got a few more. That shows the potential we have to play against any team in the league,” Palace defender Chris Richards said.

Chelsea’s Cole Palmer celebrates scoring their fourth goal against Manchester United with Benoit Badiashile and Alfie Gilchrist, on April 4, 2024
| Photo Credit: Reuters

Liverpool’s players overcame an unexpected test of their Premier League title credentials against last-place Sheffield United on Thursday. Manchester United, meanwhile, went into meltdown at Chelsea.

This was a latest reminder of the gulf that separates English soccer’s fiercest rivals ahead of their clash at Old Trafford on Sunday.

Liverpool is back on top after a 3-1 win against Sheffield United, while Manchester United conceded two goals in stoppage time in a stunning 4-3 loss at Chelsea.

Liverpool’s win further demonstrated the resolve of Jurgen Klopp’s team and the growing influence of Alexis Mac Allister, whose stunning second-half strike set up victory.

Anfield erupted as the Argentina international unleashed an unstoppable drive from the edge of the box that crashed into the top corner in the 76th minute.

The atmosphere had been getting increasingly tense before that with the game locked at 1-1. Substitute Cody Gakpo added a third for Liverpool in the 90th to make the win look more routine than it was.

“We had to dig very deep, but that is normal. Our attitude was good, the football was not great in a lot of moments,” Klopp said.

While Liverpool could be knocked off the top again by the time it heads to United on Sunday, the Merseyside club keeps on coming up with the answers as it stares down the challenge of Arsenal and Manchester City.

By contrast, United’s season descended deeper into crisis after losing in dramatic circumstances at Chelsea.

It doesn’t get any easier for Erik ten Hag’s team, which has to pick itself up for the challenge of facing a Liverpool team that is growing in confidence in its pursuit of the title.

United’s 12th league defeat of the campaign was played out in front of new co-owner Jim Ratcliffe at Stamford Bridge and came after Saturday’s 1-1 draw with Brentford.

The pressure on Ten Hag is growing.

“In five days we dropped five points. That is unacceptable,” he said. “We should have a high standard if we want to compete for Champions League football.”

United stunned

Having conceded late at Brentford, United suffered an even worse collapse at Chelsea after Cole Palmer scored twice in stoppage time to complete a hat trick and an unlikely comeback for Mauricio Pochettino’s team.

United had looked set to walk away with a morale-boosting win after recovering from a disastrous start — going 2-0 down early through a goal from Conor Gallagher and Palmer’s penalty.

Alejandro Garnacho and Bruno Fernandes evened the score at 2-2 before halftime and Garnacho headed his team in front after the break.

But Diogo Dalot’s clumsy challenge on substitute Noni Madueke earned Chelsea a second penalty and Palmer — a boyhood United fan — converted in the 110th.

The drama wasn’t over yet. A minute later, Palmer’s effort from outside the box was deflected past Andre Onana to seal a spectacular win.

“(I’m) So happy because I think we deserved to win. It was tough, but overall we were the better team,” Pochettino said.

Liverpool on top

Liverpool’s win moved it two points clear of second-place Arsenal and three ahead of City in third, but Sheffield United had threatened to spring a surprise in the race for the title.

Up until Mac Allister’s strike it had looked like being a potentially frustrating night at Anfield after Conor Bradley’s own goal had evened the game at 1-1 — canceling out Darwin Nunez’s opener.

Mac Allister’s long-range strike restored the lead and lifted the mood before Gakpo made it 3-1 with a header.

“Patience is the most important thing. You can get frustrated or in a bad mood, but we stayed calm and focused,” Gakpo said.