With the Premier League season nearing its end, the fight for each position is starting to heat up. The title battle is over this weekend following Arsenal’s collapse, which has helped Manchester City lift the trophy. However, the fight for other positions is very much on. From the relegation battle to securing European football, there is still a lot left to be played this season in the English top flight. The one which will be focused in this article is the race to secure the top four places.
There were plenty of twists and turns along the way for the battle to seal Champions League football for next season. However, now the picture is starting to look a lot clearer following Liverpool’s draw at the weekend. Not long ago, Manchester United and Newcastle United seemed to have done enough to secure the top four places. However, a spirited run of positive results helped Jurgen Klopp’s side to be right back in the mix. Unfortunately for them, the dropped points against Aston Villa could end their hopes of returning to Champions League. Let us look at what each team requires to seal the top four positions in the Premier League table.
Newcastle United
As things stand, Newcastle United and Manchester United have 69 points each and are sitting third and fourth respectively in the standings. They both have played 36 matches till now. Meanwhile, Liverpool have played one game extra and only have 66 points to their name. The maximum Liverpool can get this season is 69 points. Even that might not be enough to leapfrog Newcastle since the Magpies have a better goal difference. However, to make it absolutely sure, Newcastle only need one more point. They welcome relegation-battling Leicester City to St James’ Park before playing Chelsea away from home in their last match. If Newcastle can get one point in any of these two fixtures, then they can guarantee a top four finish.
Manchester United
Erik ten Hag’s side went through a mini wobble of late, which caused a bit of concern among their supporters. However, they recovered from those setbacks to register back-to-back victories, which has put them in the driving seat to seal one of the top four places. Liverpool dropping the points in their game at the weekend has made the job a tad bit easier for the Red Devils. All they need is one point from their final two games. First up, they welcome struggling Chelsea to Old Trafford and then they finish the season with another home match against Fulham. Taking into account their remaining fixtures, Manchester United should comfortably secure Champions League football from this stage.
Liverpool
This has been an underwhelming season in every which way for Liverpool. They have been just a shadow of their previous self and have struggled to find any sort of consistency this campaign. After getting knocked out of the cup competitions in early stages, Liverpool now look certain to finish out of the top four positions. To their credit, the Reds did produce a terrific winning run of late which saw them get ever-closer to clinching an unlikely Champions League place. However, their draw against Aston Villa has all but ended their dream. Having played a game more, Liverpool will now need both Manchester United and Newcastle to lose their final two games, an unlikely expectation on its own. Then they need to win their away game to relegated Southampton. It feels like Liverpool have left it a bit too late to stage a fightback in their quest to finish in top four places.
