Furious Tottenham Hotspur FC fans left the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in droves before a disastrous first half against Crystal Palace FC had even come to an end.

The North London side’s miserable Premier League form continued as they found themselves trailing 3–1 to Palace at half-time.

To make matters worse for the hosts, defender Micky van de Ven was sent off with a straight red card.

Tottenham had actually started brightly and took the lead in the 34th minute through Dominic Solanke.

Archie Gray did well to keep the ball alive on the right before setting up the striker inside the area for a tidy finish.

That goal came just five minutes after Palace thought they had opened the scoring. However, Ismaila Sarr was ruled narrowly offside — by the smallest of margins — after meeting a pass from Evann Guessand.

Oliver Glasner’s side also suffered an early setback when Daniel Muñoz was forced off after just 14 minutes with a shoulder injury following a heavy challenge from Renato Souza.

Despite that blow, Tottenham’s lead lasted only four minutes.

Van de Ven brought down Sarr inside the penalty area when the Palace winger looked set to score. Referee Andy Madley showed no hesitation, immediately awarding a penalty and sending the defender off.

Sarr calmly converted the spot-kick, beating Guglielmo Vicario with a clinical strike in the 40th minute.

Palace then completed a remarkable turnaround in the first minute of stoppage time as Jørgen Strand Larsen finished off a clever pass from Adam Wharton.

Sarr delivered the final blow just six minutes later, again assisted by Wharton, to make it 3–1.

By that point, furious Tottenham supporters had seen enough and began leaving the stadium en masse — without even waiting for the half-time whistle.

The bigger concern for Michael Carrick after Manchester United’s trip to Newcastle United FC should be the performance rather than the result.

Carrick appeared to acknowledge after the win at Everton FC last Monday that United’s level had gradually dipped in recent weeks — and the defeat at Newcastle represented the lowest point of his reign so far.

United peaked in Carrick’s first game back in charge against Manchester City FC and followed it up with a smart victory over Arsenal FC.

They briefly lost focus against Fulham FC but recovered and kept a poor Tottenham Hotspur FC side at arm’s length.

However, since facing the shock of playing again just three days later, United’s performances have regressed.

The draw with West Ham United FC was difficult to watch. The narrow win at Everton relied on a smash-and-grab approach. United were shaky for 45 minutes against ten-man Crystal Palace FC and even worse against a ten-man Newcastle.

Former United midfielder Paul Scholes has often drawn criticism for his punditry, and his Instagram Story on Wednesday evening was particularly blunt.

While his wording may have been harsh, his verdict that United have been “c**p” in their last four games is not entirely inaccurate.

United aspire to play at least ten more matches in Europe next season, yet their recent form suggests they may struggle if their currently empty midweeks become filled with continental fixtures.

In their five midweek matches this season, United have drawn twice with West Ham, drawn with Wolverhampton Wanderers FC, drawn with Burnley FC, and lost at Newcastle.

United had enough experienced players on the pitch at St James’ Park — including Harry Maguire, Luke Shaw, Kobbie Mainoo, Casemiro, and Bruno Fernandes — to understand the hostile atmosphere on Tyneside.

Maguire, who has played at Newcastle since 2017, even aggravated the crowd with United’s slow goal-kick routines when he should have been helping calm the situation. Eventually, United were overwhelmed by the pressure.

The defender also hesitated during the decisive moment for Will Osula’s winning goal. Lacking the pace to match the striker, Maguire might have stopped the counter-attack with a tactical foul, even if it meant taking a yellow card.

Newcastle continues to be a difficult venue for United. Since Newcastle returned to the Premier League in 2017, they have beaten United six times at home, drawing once and losing twice.

Carrick’s seven-match unbeaten run came to an end as Newcastle secured a dramatic 2-1 victory at St James’ Park.

Casemiro had equalised with a header following a chaotic first half in which Anthony Gordon scored a penalty and Jacob Ramsey was sent off for diving.

Tensions were high throughout the match, including a clash between Fernandes and Joelinton in the tunnel at half-time.

But it was substitute Osula who settled the contest with a superb curling strike in the 90th minute.

Despite the defeat, Carrick’s United remain third in the table on goal difference and now head into a 14-day break before hosting Aston Villa FC on March 15.

Yet the match underlined deeper concerns. Several players appear to have lost form in recent weeks. At Newcastle, Bryan Mbeumo played directly into the home crowd’s energy, Casemiro showed signs of ageing legs, and Mainoo struggled again against Newcastle’s midfield.

Since United’s efficient win against ten-man Spurs on February 7, Fernandes has arguably been the only player to maintain consistent form.

Carrick was visibly frustrated at full-time. He walked onto the pitch to applaud the travelling supporters but deliberately avoided acknowledging the players.

It was also the earliest he had arrived for a post-match press conference, where only six questions were asked.

During the match, Carrick had shown rare anger, shouting instructions at his players as they drifted through the first 20 minutes of the second half.

After the game he admitted his frustration, saying:

“Emotions are part of the game. Certain things we wanted to do and we didn’t do them.

“I’m really, really disappointed with tonight for different reasons. But we can’t lose sight of the position we’ve got ourselves in.

“As much as I’m disappointed — and we need to learn from it — because it’s been a lesson for us tonight in some ways.”

One clear lesson may be to avoid relying on fringe players. Tyrell Malacia, who has made only ten appearances in two-and-a-half years, struggled after being brought in due to injury to Noussair Mazraoui.

A more athletic option might have been Ayden Heaven.

Malacia’s positioning allowed Osula to cut inside before firing home the decisive goal.

Carrick’s substitutions were also conservative. Manuel Ugarte and Diogo Dalot were introduced first, despite the match being level.

The most natural attacking game-changer at 1-1 was Amad Diallo, yet he only entered the match in the 78th minute and touched the ball just six times.

That, too, will be a concern for Carrick as he looks to restore momentum.

Reports claiming that Cristiano Ronaldo has left Saudi Arabia with his family and returned to Madrid are completely false.

The speculation — which alleged that Ronaldo had fled following issues in his last match for Al Nassr FC and amid tensions in the Middle East — has been firmly debunked as fake news.

According to respected journalist Fabrizio Romano, Ronaldo remains in Saudi Arabia and is currently undergoing treatment at Al Nassr’s training facilities.

The Portuguese superstar is reportedly recovering from minor problems sustained in his most recent game and has not departed the country.

Ronaldo remains fully committed to Al Nassr, where he has been a central figure since joining in 2023, and continues to focus on his duties in the Saudi Pro League as he prepares for upcoming fixtures.