The embarrassing loss cast doubt over Ten Hag’s future, but a few days later, they stunned Manchester City at Wembley, which many believe saved the manager’s job.
Speaking ahead of the upcoming visit to Selhurst, Ten Hag admitted that it is always a difficult place to play, but revealed that the result on that day was influenced by injuries to some of his players.
He told reporters: “Nothing in particular, we know what to expect. We know it’s always tough there; it’s always aggressive, but we also know the circumstances were different. You can’t compare this. We didn’t have a fully fit squad. We had one or two players who were only 20% fit, and we had to play them. This time is totally different. We have a fit squad, and we definitely have players ready for this good challenge ahead of us.
United have enjoyed a great week, beating Southampton impressively before defeating Barnsley 7-0 to progress to the fourth round of the League Cup.
If they can secure all three points at Selhurst, it will be the first time this season that they’ve won back-to-back Premier League games. They face the Eagles at a time when Palace has yet to record a league win, having drawn at home to Leicester last weekend.
Palace are still struggling to get going and are a pale shadow of the side that ended last season in form, threatening to break into the top half of the league table