De Boer under more pressure as Palace loses 1-0 at Burnley
Choupo-Moting 43’ (S), Rashford 45+1 (M), Lukaku 57’ (M), Choupo-Moting 63’ (S) Yesterday Burnley-Crystal Palace .................. 1-0 Wood 3’ Swansea-Newcastle Utd ................ 0-1 Diama 69’ Today West Ham-Huddersfield Frank de Boer’s position as Crystal Palace manager looked in more jeopardy on Sunday after his team lost 1-0 at Burnley for a fourth straight defeat to open the Premier League season.
The goal that could hasten the departure of De Boer was shambolic from Palace’s point of view, with Lee Chung-yong’s back-pass from the halfway line pounced on by Chris Wood in the third minute.
The New Zealand striker shot first-time from 35 meters past Palace goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey, who was stranded outside his area, for his second goal in as many games since joining from second-tier Leeds. Wood was making his home debut for Burnley.
Palace is the first English topflight team since Preston in 1924 to lose its opening four matches of a season without scoring. The side is struggling to adapt to a new and more expansive style of play under De Boer, the former Netherlands defender who took charge in the offseason after Sam Allardyce stepped down.
Palace dominated the second half at a rainy Turf Moor but had no width or end product, with star winger Wilfried Zaha again out injured. Its best chance fell in the 89th minute to Scott Dann, who glanced a header wide from inside the six-yard box. De Boer turned away in disgust and slumped into his seat in the dugout with his hands in his pockets.
“There was only one team deserving to win today and it was us. But that’s football,” De Boer said.
If De Boer’s tenure at Palace is cut short in the coming weeks, it will be his second successive failure after lasting just 84 days at Inter Milan last season. He was previously at Ajax, where he won the Eredivisie four straight years.
Burnley played for nearly an hour with substitute goalkeeper Nick Pope after Tom Heaton was helped off with a left shoulder injury.
Burnley has started the season well, having previously picked up four points in away games against Chelsea and Tottenham.
Newcastle gives ailing Benitez a lift by beating Swansea 1-0
Standings
Newcastle gave ailing manager Rafa Benitez something to cheer by beating Swansea 1-0 on Sunday, spoiling Renato Sanches’ first experience of the English Premier League.
Having earlier cleared a shot off his own goal line, Jamaal Lascelles headed home the winner from a corner in the 77th minute as Newcastle picked up a second straight victory.
The 57-year-old Benitez wasn’t at Liberty Stadium after having a procedure on Monday to address an infection resulting from an earlier hernia operation. He had been in such pain this week that he hadn’t been able to travel to training.
Sanches made his debut for Swansea after joining on loan from Bayern Munich in a surprise transfer on the final day of the summer transfer window.