text: 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 don'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.
target: 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 .
  Murray now has best goals-per-minute ratio of anyone in Premier League .