There was poetic symmetry in Glenn Murray 's humbling of Vincent Kompany at Selhurst Park on Monday night . Ten years ago this month , the Crystal Palace striker humiliated another of the world 's best defenders , World Cup and Champions League winner Gerard Pique . Sure , Pique was just 18 at the time and playing for Manchester United 's reserves but he , like Kompany , is all too aware of Murray 's talents after the Cumbrian scored a hat-trick against him in Carlisle colours . Glenn Murray jumps for joy after putting Crystal Palace 1-0 up against Manchester City on Monday night . Barcelona and Spain defender Gerard Pique once conceded three against Murray in a reserve match in 2005 . Their careers have taken wholly different paths in the last decade but after a man-of-the-match display which all but ended the Premier League champions ' title defence in a match viewed by millions around the world , Murray now gets a little taste of the limelight that Pique has basked in at Barcelona for years . His poachers ' effort on Monday was his fifth goal in his last five games . Murray now boasts the fifth-best goals-per-minute ratio in Europe 's top five leagues . He may lack pace but Murray 's speed of thought is rapid and you will struggle to find a frontman in the land with a better ability to win the ball in the air , bring others in to play and generally unsettle defenders . Just look at how troubled the vastly experienced and physically powerfully Manchester City pair of Kompany and Martin Demichelis were on Monday night . Much of Murray 's success comes from his cunning , a nous to win duels and subtly influence referees no doubt enhanced by years playing at the lower levels . Murray holds off a challenge from Manchester City captain Vincent Kompany . Kompany looks inconsolable at the end of the game after Manchester City were beaten 2-1 . And we 're not just talking Leagues One and Two here , where Murray first began to shine with Rochdale and Brighton . Before then he had turned out in non-league for Workington , Barrow , Carlisle and even had a spell at Wilmington Hammerheads in America ’ s third tier . Footballers just do n't take that sort of path to the top anymore , but there is no doubt Murray , now 31 , deserves his chance . His telepathic understanding with flying wingers Wilfried Zaha and Yannick Bolasie brought him 30 goals in 2012-13 and with it Crystal Palace 's promotion . Cruelly , he ruptured his cruciate knee ligament in the play-off semi-final victory over Brighton that year and missed the majority of last season recovering . He had notched up 14 appearances by the end of the campaign , mostly off the bench , but looked a shadow of his former self under Tony Pulis , with the exception of a typically bullying display in Liverpool 's famous implosion at Selhurst last May . Murray celebrates scoring at Old Trafford as Palace beat Manchester United in December 2011 . Murray scores against Manchester City for Brighton in the League Cup back in September 2008 . Despite his rugged style Murray , like most players , needs a proverbial arm around the shoulder to produce his best - something Alan Pardew has undoubtedly afforded him and that Neil Warnock before him emphatically failed to do . Pardew 's predecessor shipped Murray out on loan to Reading to make room in his squad for Kevin Doyle , a striker who had scored just three goals in 23 games in League One for Wolves the season before . How foolish that move looks now . Pardew , in contrast , immediately reinstalled Murray in the Palace side and gave him a new contract to the end of next season when he took over in January . His faith has been rewarded with a rich vein of goalscoring form that gives Murray the best goals-per-minute ratio of anyone in the Premier League . Murray wheels away to celebrate as City 's defenders appeal in vain for offside . The Cumbrian striker signed a new contract for Crystal Palace back in January . Only four players in Europe have a better ratio than Murray – though he has some way to go to catch Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi . One thing is for sure though , Kompany will certainly be glad to see the back of him , as was Pique 10 years ago .
Crystal Palace beat Manchester City 2-1 at Selhurst Park on Monday night . Glenn Murray netted his fifth goal in five games to open the scoring . TL;DR Chelsea have won their last three Premier League matches against Arsenal and Aston Villa.