Manchester United route to Europe as every permutation explained after horror Crystal Palace defeat

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

The Red Devils have been given a major blow to their chances of claiming Europa League qualification following a 4-0 defeat to Crystal Palace. Oliver Glasner's side began in the ascendancy, with Michael Olise firing the Eagles ahead inside the opening quarter of an hour.

Jean-Philippe Mateta then doubled Crystal Palace's lead shortly before half-time, netting his ninth goal in his last 11 Premier League games. Palace raced into a 4-0 lead 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 their 35 games this season. They are six points from Tottenham Hotspur in fifth place and a whopping 13 from Aston Villa in fourth.

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

Italy and Germany have claimed the extra Champions League qualifying spots, so only the top four in the Premier League will go into next season's new-look tournament. Aston Villa need just three more points from their final 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