Leeds United handed an absolute beating to Crystal Palace on Saturday evening, in the midst of a gruelling three-competition schedule for Oliver Glasner.
Five points in three games kickstart December brilliantly for us. Rightly so, Leeds fancied their chances of another scalp against Crystal Palace at the weekend.
The Eagles came into the game just 48 hours after their Conference League draw. Oliver Glasner rotated their entire XI and ending up dropping points to tee up a further two less-than-ideal European fixtures after the New Year.
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Leeds United batter Crystal Palace 4-1 with four set piece goals and dominant performance
Glasner’s Palace were the latest to learn how troublesome a nighttime trip to Elland Road can prove to be.
Leeds United’s Dominic Calvert-Lewin celebrates scoring our first goal vs Oliver Glasner’s Crystal Palace (Action Images via Reuters/Craig Brough)
Two giant throw-ins from Ethan Ampadu teed up a first-half brace for Dominic Calvert-Lewin. The skipper got on the scoresheet himself in the second half.
Justin Devenny briefly restored the faintest of hopes for Palace from the penalty spot, as he then struck the post seconds later. But, Anton Stach quickly snuffed them out from a free-kick to seal a huge 4-1 win.
At 4-1, it was the least Leeds deserved. And, perhaps the best summary of how rattled Palace were in West Yorkshire was Glasner trying to head down the tunnel at full-time. Somehow, he forgot where it was, instead walking to the south-west corner, perplexed.
Oliver Glasner answers ‘losing on purpose’ question from Leeds United defeat
To Glasner’s defence, three games in six days is truly brutal. As they looked to prioritise, Palace successful requested our game at Elland Road to be moved from Sunday afternoon to Saturday night.
In turn, that gave Palace 48 hours between their Conference League game and Leeds, which obviously backfired on both counts. Now, they prepare for Arsenal away in the EFL Cup on Tuesday night. Their rescheduling has granted them more time than the schedule initially allowed for.
When previewing the game, Glasner was asked if Palace’s priorities meant they were almost expecting to lose during this three-game spell.
“No, I don’t think so,” said Glasner, per the Guardian. “If somebody tells me that we lose on purpose, the next day I’m not the manager any more.”
Such was their performance at Leeds and the mauling we dished out, that this was even a question in the first place.
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