Crystal Palace manager Oliver Glasner has been speaking to Sky Sports following the heavy defeat: “The tank was empty, we could see it. The players tried and in the second half we were much better, it was a game on the same level. In the first half, it was too much and we couldn’t get the turnaround from Thursday evening.
"The players tried, but I could see it at the set plays and in the easy mistakes we made. It's not to blame anyone. It was just really overwhelming for us, this match and the win against Shakhtar Donetsk. Overall, Bournemouth were much better.
"The three substitutes [at half-time] were planned before. We wanted the attackers who played on Thursday to not play more than 45 minutes. Normally Will Hughes would've started, but he was ill.
"The message at half-time was that the first half wasn't us and it's time to show in the second half that we can do better and play more in front. We had 50% possession in the first half but no shots. Against a team that presses like Bournemouth, playing square passes around their box doesn't make sense – but that's what we did.
"We made too many mistakes. It's not that we wanted to do this, but we have to accept it. Now we will recover and prepare for Thursday. It is maybe the biggest match in the club's history.
"I trust these players completely. They have shown they can play better and I know they will find the focus.
"It's not an excuse, but we travelled back to London on Friday and then travelled to Bournemouth yesterday. It's a lot at the end of a long season. None of our players have ever experienced anything like this."
Did you know?
- Crystal Palace failed to take a single shot in the first-half of this match for the first time in a Premier League game since August 2021 against Chelsea.
- The Eagles faced their seventh penalty in the Premier League this season, their most-ever in a single campaign and the joint-most of any team in the 2025-26 season.
