Roy Hodgson rubs salt into Man Utd wounds with 'enormous pleasure' admission

30 September 2023 , 23:03

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Roy Hodgson rubs salt into Man Utd wounds with 'enormous pleasure' admission

Roy Hodgson wasn't about to spare Manchester United fans from further misery as he lauded his Crystal Palace side following their win at Old Trafford.

Palace were thumped 3-0 at the same venue in the Carabao Cup on Tuesday night, but Hodgson's decision to rest a host of first-team players arguably paid dividends. Just 25 minutes in Joachim Andersen's stunning strike gave the visitors the initiative, and they held on thereafter despite a late flurry of United pressure.

It was a history-making win for Hodgson, who was handed a one-year deal by Palace in the summer after initially returning on a short-term agreement. He became the first manager to remain unbeaten over five consecutive Premier League visits to the 'Theatre of Dreams'.

And the 76-year-old didn't try and contain his delight afterward. Speaking to BBC Match of the Day, he said: "The way the players went about the game today is really praiseworthy and has given me enormous pleasure.

"They have to be so disciplined and so organised. It would be asking too much to come here and dominate. Joachim Andersen is a wonderful technician. It was only a half chance. He had to quickly get his feet right and have the confidence to put his foot through the ball. I'm trying to push him forward for goal of the week!"

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The former England boss also felt the work-rate of his players was key as they recorded their third league win of the campaign: "I must add that the real satisfaction is seeing the players work so incredibly hard," he added. "The players were tiring enormously towards the end."

Roy Hodgson masterminded a Crystal Palace win at Old Trafford (PA)

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The win actually takes the Eagles above United in the table, with Hodgson's men now ninth with 11 points. That's one place, and two points, above the side who purchased £170 million worth of talent in the summer.

The result has piled the pressure on Erik ten Hag, with the club currently plagued by poor form and off-field turmoil. And the Dutchman himself admitted he understood why players were jeered by home supporters: "I understand fans are expecting a win and we didn't win and we lost," he said.

"Of course, it is a concern, we have to be more consistent, this is not the demand for Manchester United. The demand is we get a row of wins and get into a series. We have to do better than now."

Fraser Watson