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Former Manchester United defender Gary Neville reckons the Red Devils could beat Liverpool and Chelsea in the race for the Premier League top four this season.
Erik ten Hag's side beat West Ham United 1-0 at Old Trafford last night (October 30) to move into fifth place in the standings. They are a point below Newcastle United with a game in hand and eight below leaders Arsenal.
Manchester United are unbeaten in eight games across competitions. They seem to have put their opening losses against Brighton & Hove Albion and Brentford behind them.
Neville thinks United's improvement has been impressive enough that they could finish in the top four, above Liverpool, Chelsea, and Tottenham Hotspur. He told Sky Sports (via Metro):
"I think they’ve got a great chance of finishing in the top four now, a great chance. There’s enough going on at Chelsea, Liverpool and Tottenham for United to feel confident that they can push through that bunch. I never would have thought that four or five weeks ago."
He added:
"You look at United’s forward line, they might have the weaker players at this moment in time, but there’s something happening with Erik ten Hag that is giving them a great spirit."
The sixth-placed Blues are two points below Ten Hag's side. The Reds, meanwhile, are ninth, seven points behind the Red Devils.
Chelsea and Liverpool lose out as race for top four heats up
Graham Potter suffered his first defeat as Chelsea manager against his former side Brighton at the Amex on Saturday (October 29). The Blues were beaten 4-1, via goals from Leandro Trossard and Pascal Gross and own goals from Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Trevoh Chalobah.
Liverpool, meanwhile, were beaten at Anfield by Leeds United on the same day. A late goal from Crysencio Summerville secured a memorable win for the struggling visitors after Mohamed Salah had cancelled out Rodrigo Moreno's opener.
Meanwhile, Arsenal, Manchester City, Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United won, continuing their good start to the campaign. They make up the top four, in that order.
With just two gameweeks remaining in the English top flight before the FIFA World Cup in Qatar next month, the top teams will hope to continue their momentum or regain it.
Liverpool and Chelsea will hope to get their season back on track, but both clubs face tough clashes against north London sides on Sunday (November 6). While the Reds travel to face Tottenham Hotspur, the Blues will host Arsenal.
