Ralf Rangnick lamented another abject away showing from Manchester United at Crystal Palace, while he thanked Brighton and Hove Albion for helping the Red Devils to Europa League qualification.
United lost six consecutive away league matches for the first time since March 1981 after Wilfried Zaha's strike proved decisive in the 1-0 win for Crystal Palace on Sunday.
Erik ten Hag was in attendance at Selhurst Park and has much to ponder after United finished the Premier League season with a record-low points tally (58).
It was also the first time United did not end a league campaign with a positive goal difference (zero in 2021-22) for the first time since the 1989-90 season (minus-one).
However, Brighton came from behind to defeat top-six hopefuls West Ham, which meant United will be playing Europa League football next term under Ten Hag after finishing sixth in the league.
Rangnick, who will move into a consultancy role alongside his managerial job at Austria, expressed his gratitude to Graham Potter's side for overcoming David Moyes' West Ham.
"Yes, I think Brighton did us the favour to turn the game around because they were losing at half-time," he told reporters.
"They scored three times in the second half and that was the good thing about the weekend and about this fixture.
"We would have loved to take care of ourselves but in a way the game was indicative of last couple of weeks, especially when we played away from home.
"It was a new experience for me, not necessarily coming in the middle of the season, but knowing that it would be an interim role. Unfortunately, we didn't have any pre-season and unfortunately, we couldn't strengthen the squad.
"These things happen and in hindsight, it was a little bit bittersweet or sweet bitter rather because in the first couple of weeks and months we did well.
"We collected enough points with an average of 2.1 until the game against Atletico [Madrid] but I think that defeat in the Champions League was in a way like somebody popped the balloon."
Rangnick also bemoaned United's away performance as they failed to capitalise on chances and allowed Palace to impose themselves on the contest.
"I think we had three good opportunities to score ourselves in the first half but we didn't and, especially in the first half, we had too many unforced errors and bad giveaways, that is the way we conceded the goal," he continued.
"In fact, it was our assist, the goalscorer, in the end, was Zaha but the ones who gave the assist were ourselves.
"There was a throw-in – just keep the ball into our own half – and the way we defended that shot was also not the way that you have to defend in this league and that's why we were trailing again 1-0.
"At half-time, we were trying to bring on all the young strikers we had on the bench. We had some opportunities in the second half but it was not clinical enough and that's why we lost again away from home."
In focus: The semi-finalists of the Women’s Champions League
The semi-finals of the Women’s Champions League get under way this weekend, with Saturday seeing Chelsea play at Barcelona in their first leg and Lyon host Paris St Germain.
Here, the PA news agency takes a closer look at the four remaining sides bidding for a place in the May 25 final in Bilbao.
ChelseaEmma Hayes’ Blues take on Barcelona again having been beaten by them 2-1 on aggregate in last season’s semis, and 4-0 in the 2021 final. That is the only time an English side has featured in the final apart from when Arsenal won it in 2007, with Hayes on the coaching staff. Chelsea are seeking a glorious conclusion to the 47-year-old’s trophy-laden tenure before she departs this summer to take charge of the United States – but have recently seen quadruple and then treble hopes ended by defeat to Arsenal in the League Cup final and Manchester United in the FA Cup last four. Their bid for a fifth successive Women’s Super League title sees them currently top via goal difference after Wednesday’s 3-0 win over Aston Villa.
BarcelonaBarca claimed their second Champions League crown with a dramatic 3-2 win over Wolfsburg in Eindhoven last term and have played in four of the last five finals. Closing in on another Liga F title that would also make it five in a row, their formidable squad, managed by Jonatan Giraldez, includes England duo Lucy Bronze and Keira Walsh and 2023 World Cup winners Alexia Putellas, the captain, and Aitana Bonmati, who have two and one Ballon d’Ors to their name respectively. The team’s domestic league record for this season shows 22 wins and one draw from 23 matches, with 102 goals scored along the way.
LyonThe French outfit have been the major force over the course of this competition’s history, lifting the trophy a record eight times. Within that was five successive triumphs from 2016 to 2020 and another in 2022. They are back in the last four this season after a quarter-final exit last term at the hands of Chelsea. Boss Sonia Bompastor, the former Lyon player who has overseen the team winning the league title twice as well as the European success since taking charge in 2021, has been linked with the job of succeeding Hayes.
Paris St GermainPSG – who defeated Manchester United in this season’s Champions League qualifying rounds – had their best runs in the competition to date when finishing as runners-up in 2015 and 2017, on the second occasion being beaten in a penalty shoot-out by Lyon in Cardiff. They lost to Lyon in the semis the year in between, and in two of three last-four appearances since – the other in 2021 came after overcoming them in the quarter-finals, and they also pipped them that year to claim a maiden French top-flight title. Jocelyn Precheur’s side are currently nine points behind leaders Lyon in second place in Division 1 Feminin with two games to go before the play-offs.
Football rumours: Mo Salah tipped to leave Liverpool
Mo Salah is keen to leave Liverpool after a failed £200 million transfer bid, with the Sun reporting that three replacements have now been identified.
The i says Sean Dyche‘s job as Everton manager is not under threat, in spite of the club’s recent poor form.
Gremio left winger Gustavo Nunes, a rising star from Brazil, is attracting interest from Manchester City, Liverpool, and Arsenal despite only making his senior debut in February, writes the Daily Mail.
Social media round-upPlayers to watchMason Greenwood: Manchester United could offer him as part of a deal to sign Brazil defender Gleison Bremer, 27, from Juventus, Gazzetta dello Sport claims.
Jarrad Branthwaite: Bayern Munich and Tottenham have joined Manchester United in considering a move for the Everton defender, as per Teamtalk.
Idrissa Gana Gueye: Saudi Pro League clubs are interested in the 34-year-old midfielder, who is unlikely to be offered a new deal by Everton when his contract expires, writes Football Insider.
Aldershot move into play-off places with victory at 10-man Gateshead
Kwame Thomas headed Aldershot into the National League play-off places in a 1-0 win away to a Gateshead side who played almost half the match with a defender deputising in goal.
Gateshead had goalkeeper Nathan Harness sent off in the 47th minute for bringing down James Daly outside the box and, with no stopper on the bench, Louis Storey went between the posts for the rest of the night.
Storey made a good save to keep out Cian Harries’ free-kick in the 51st minute, but could do nothing as the visitors took the lead 10 minutes later.
Thomas got on the end of a looping cross from Josh Barrett to head in, and it proved enough for a win that puts them one point above FC Halifax, who host Oldham on Thursday.
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