MATCH FACTS
- Date – 21st May 2017
- Venue – Old Trafford
- Attendance – 75,254
- Referee – Anthony Taylor
- Bookings – McTominay, Carrick
- Goals – Harrop (15), Pogba (19)
- Star Eagle – Wilfried Zaha (7.4)
TEB VERDICT
Once again Palace succumbed to defeat against United while in other news, water is wet. It was very much the feeling of the calm after the storm as the Eagles had ensured safety with the emphatic win against Hull the week before. Ending the season with a whimper you can perhaps excuse the look of a team already on holiday when taking into account the huge effort put in and the emotions of recent weeks.
PLAYER RATINGS (courtesy of Who Scored)
13 Wayne Hennessey (5.5) – Many fans suggest this is a position that needs to be looked at in the summer and Hennessey did not help his cause with another performance lacking in confidence.
2 Joel Ward (6.4) – Another position which is being targeted as a problem and unfortunately this was an unconvincing showing from the former Pompey man.
34 Martin Kelly (6.4) – A good run at centre back as needs must but needs to find a little more consistency which should come with more exposure to the position.
5 James Tomkins (6.0) – Looked like he was desperately trying to avoid any more injuries which you can perhaps understand considering he seems to be made of glass. Needs a good run of games next season without interruption.
31 Jeffrey Schlupp (6.3) – Put in a shift for the back line but will be interesting to see more of him out wide next season with enough cover at left back.
28 Luka Milivojevic (6.2) – You know it is a nothing game when Luka looks a little disinterested but looking forward to seeing more from our favourite Serbian next season.
18 James McArthur (6.0) – Not seen the best of the Scotsman this second half of this season mainly due to injury and when he did return, he could not get back into a side in form. Replaced by 26 Bakary Sako (6.2) on 61 minutes who provided fresh legs but little else.
42 Jason Puncheon (6.9) – A good showing from the captain in the final game of the season but the two early goals looked certain to seal the points for the hosts making it almost a training game from there on in.
11 Wilfried Zaha (7.4) – Kicked from pillar to post all the way through the game but still provided a real threat going forward but will carry the bruises through to next season. Replaced by 9 Fraizer Campbell (6.0) on 79 minutes which could well be his final appearance in a Palace shirt.
3 Patrick van Aanholt (6.1) – Pushed forward to replace the injured Andros Townsend but was unable to provide the same outlet. Replaced by 25 Sullay KaiKai (5.9) on 67 minutes for a brief appearance but little chance to make an impact.
17 Christian Benteke (7.2) – Signed off for the season with a good performance, always a threat particularly with one effort that came back off the crossbar.
Unused substitutes – 1 Julian Speroni, 6 Scott Dann, 9 Fraizer Campbell, 14 Lee Chung-yong, 46 Wan-Bissaka
LISTEN TO MY END OF SEASON REVIEW ON THE EPL ROUND TABLE PODCAST FOR THE EPL INDEX
WHAT THE MANAGERS SAID
‘We’ve all worked extremely hard, from the owners’ support through the whole football club. My job was to lift everyone on the pitch and behind the scenes and get them working in the right direction. With the investment in January, very, very, very good performances came and that is why we stayed in the Premier League.
“Without beating Chelsea away, Arsenal at home and Liverpool away in the space of a few days, we would have been relegated. They were the big ones. We now need to grow, develop and invest. You need to choose the right players and not the wrong ones. Recruitment is the difficult task in the summer. Any players we bring in have to be better than the ones we have now.’ – SAM ALLARDYCE talking to BBC Sport.
‘Don’t ask me too many things because now I am in the final, let me go home.’ – JOSE MOUINHO talking to MUTV.
MATCH STATISTICS
The Who Scored man of the match was Demetri Mitchell (8.3) while Wayne Rooney had the most shots (4). Demetri Mitchell, Timothy Fosu-Mensah, Joel Ward and Jason Puncheon (5) made the most tackles. The top dribbler was Wilfried Zaha (5).
- Team rating: 7.26 – 6.31
- Total shots: 9 – 6
- Shots on target: 2 – 1
- Possession: 58.8% – 41.2%
- Pass success: 88% – 81%
- Dribbles: 17 – 10
- Aerials won: 6 – 16
- Tackles: 23 -16
- Corners: 3 – 6
- Dispossessed: 11 – 13
POSITION IN THE TABLE
Palace end their fourth consecutive Premier League season in 14th place with 41 points from 38 games, three behind Stoke City in 13th and level on points with Swansea City in 15th.
