Manchester United’s 2-1 defeat at Newcastle United on Wednesday put a dent in their hopes of securing a top four place in the Premier League this season.
The Red Devils are still third in the table, but are just three points ahead of sixth-placed Liverpool with nine games remaining.
Despite the disappointing midweek defeat at St James’ Park, Michael Carrick’s side are the bookmakers’ favourites to finish in the top four.
Fans who understand how to bet online will recognise that predicting the outcome of the race is tricky given the current situation in the table.
With that in mind, read on as we look at the remaining fixtures for the top four contenders before assessing why United need to bounce back to form as soon as possible.
Manchester United (51 points)
- Aston Villa (H)
- Bournemouth (A)
- Leeds United (H)
- Chelsea (A)
- Brentford (H)
- Liverpool (H)
- Sunderland (A)
- Nottingham Forest (H)
- Brighton & Hove Albion (A)
Aston Villa (51 points)
- Manchester United (A)
- West Ham United (H)
- Nottingham Forest (A)
- Sunderland (H)
- Fulham (A)
- Tottenham Hotspur (H)
- Burnley (A)
- Liverpool (H)
- Manchester City (A)
Chelsea (48 points)
- Newcastle United (H)
- Everton (A)
- Manchester City (H)
- Manchester United (H)
- Brighton & Hove Albion (A)
- Nottingham Forest (H)
- Liverpool (A)
- Tottenham Hotspur (H)
- Sunderland (A)
Liverpool (48 points)
- Tottenham Hotspur (H)
- Brighton & Hove Albion (A)
- Fulham (H)
- Everton (A)
- Crystal Palace (H)
- Manchester United (A)
- Chelsea (H)
- Aston Villa (A)
- Brentford (H)
Short break gives United the chance to regroup
United’s defeat at Newcastle was a wake-up call for anyone who thinks that securing Champions League qualification for next season is a foregone conclusion.
Fifth place could be enough for United to return to the top table in Europe, but Carrick will be eager to take any uncertainty out of the equation by finishing in the top four.
Their performance at St James’ Park was hugely underwhelming, particularly when considering that Newcastle had to play with ten men throughout the second half.
While United forced goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale to make a couple of excellent saves, you would be hard pressed to argue they deserved to win the game.
Carrick looked extremely frustrated on the touchline, but he insisted after the match that his players will learn a lot from the disappointing result.
“Emotions are part of the game and certain things we wanted to do, and try and do, and we’re not doing it,” Carrick told the club’s official website.
“The boys have been fantastic, you know. So, we’ve lost a game of football and, listen, it hurts me a lot. I’m really, really disappointed with tonight, for different reasons.
“But we can’t lose sight of the position we’ve put ourselves in as well. So, as much as I’m disappointed, we need to learn from it, because it’s a bit of a lesson for us tonight, in some ways.
“We can’t lose sight of the bigger picture as well. We’ve got to be better for this.”
United now have over a week to regroup before they face Aston Villa at Old Trafford on Sunday, March 15. The game is an ideal chance to bounce back to form.
Villa have gone completely off the boil in recent weeks and are looking increasingly likely to drop out of the top four before the end of the season.
Unai Emery’s side were taken apart by Chelsea on Wednesday, and the Red Devils will be desperate to add to their woes when they meet in Manchester.
Although United’s top four fate it still in their own hands, they need to produce a strong performance against Villa to show that the defeat at Newcastle was just a blip.
