Manchester United’s route to Europe, as explained by every permutation after the terrible defeat by Crystal Palace

As the race for European football approaches the home stretch, Manchester United will need to shift into fifth gear.

The Red Devils were dealt a major blow to their chances of claiming Europa League qualification after a 4-0 defeat at Crystal Palace. Oliver Glasner’s side got off to a flying start with Michael Olise firing the Eagles ahead inside the first quarter of an hour.

Jean-Philippe Mateta then doubled Crystal Palace’s lead shortly before half-time, scoring his ninth goal in his last 11 Premier League games. Palace went 4-0 up just over 20 minutes after the restart through Tyrick Mitchell and Olise’s second of the night.

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United are now in eighth position, with 54 points from 35 games this season. They are six points adrift of fifth-placed Tottenham Hotspur and 13 adrift of fourth-placed Aston Villa.

Despite this, the season is far from over, with three games still to play – one of which is an FA Cup final at the end of the month. So with that being said, Manchester Evening News looked at the various ways the Red Devils can secure European football.

First league

Italy and Germany have won the extra Champions League qualification places, so only the Premier League’s top four will enter next season’s new-look tournament. Aston Villa need just three points from their last two games to join Arsenal, Manchester City and Liverpool.

Only Tottenham Hotspur can rival Unai Emery’s side for a place in the top four. Fifth place will qualify for next season’s Europa League, with the team going straight into the new set-up rather than playing additional qualifiers.

Now, fifth place is not out of the question for Manchester United, but it is certainly a tough task. With Spurs, Newcastle and Chelsea also looking to climb the Premier League table, the FA Cup final throws the Red Devils a lifeline.

FA Cup

The winners of the FA Cup will also claim a place in the Europa League. If the winners of the competition finish in the top five of the Premier League – and therefore qualify for the Champions League or Europa League through their league position – the Europa League spot will be transferred to the next top-ranked English outfit. does not compete in Europe.

permutation

So here are the permutations. If Manchester United do not finish in the top five but win the FA Cup, they qualify for the Europa League, with sixth claiming a place in the Europa Conference League.

If the Red Devils do not win the FA Cup, then Europa League qualification will be awarded to fifth and sixth, while seventh claim the Europa Conference League. Therefore, Manchester United can afford not to win the FA Cup as long as they finish in the top seven.

Current ranking

Manchester United are currently in eighth place with 54 points, meanwhile, Newcastle are sixth with 56 points and Chelsea are seventh with 54 points. Each of the three teams has three games left until the end of the Premier League season.

The remaining fixings

Manchester United

Arsenal (H) – Sunday 12 May

Newcastle United (H) – Wednesday 15 May

Brighton (A) – Sunday 19 May

Newcastle United

Brighton (H) – Saturday 11 May

Man United (A) – Wednesday 15 May

Brentford (A) – Sunday 19 May

Chelsea

Nottingham Forest (A) – Saturday 11 May

Brighton (A) – Wednesday 15 May

Bournemouth (H) – Sunday 19 May