Liverpool and Chelsea in the race to finish second after Manchester United's 0-0 draw against Crystal Palace: Gary Neville

Liverpool are 7 points away from Manchester United with a game in hand
Liverpool are 7 points away from Manchester United with a game in hand

Ahead of their fixture on Thursday, both Liverpool and Chelsea find themselves six and seven points away respectively from Manchester United following the team's 0-0 draw against Crystal Palace.

Former England and Red Devils defender Gary Neville claims his former team is making it hard for themselves to finish in second place.

"I thought progress in the last few weeks had been made in the sense that they would cement that second place by picking three points at places like Crystal Palace," Neville said following the draw.

Manchester United now find themselves 14 points away from league leaders Manchester City whom they face on Sunday. They are also only six points away from falling out of the top 4.

"They’re now making it really hard for themselves. If you were Liverpool and Chelsea watching this at home, you'd be thinking 'right we're in with a right chance," the -year-old said.

'Boring' Manchester United could miss out on second place to Liverpool or Chelsea: Gary Neville

Gary Neville
Gary Neville

Manchester United's 0-0 draw had Gary Neville concerned as he claimed his former side looked lethargic and worn out.

"They (Manchester United) look worn," Neville said after the 0-0 draw. "We know the fans aren't in the stadium and we know there's not been a lot of football. But they really did look lethargic tonight and well off it. The body language, they looked really drained."

Chelsea and Liverpool are set to face each other on Thursday, and a win for either club will bring the Red Devils into the fight for a top 4 finish. Neville claims that to avoid a significant drop-off, his former club must find urgency in their play.

"They look leggy. Manchester United have got to find something from somewhere," Neville said. "There was no sort or urgency at the end of the game."
"It wasn’t a good night for United. You can’t have too many performances like that. I said under Louis van Gaal and Jose Mourinho that you can’t be boring. That was boring tonight watching that," the Englishman concluded

Injuries have ravaged Liverpool's season and Chelsea's poor form led to the sacking of former manager Frank Lampard. Poor midweek results for both Leicester City and Manchester United could mean that all 4 teams will battle for Champions League places at the end of this season.

Seven points separate all five clubs ahead of Chelsea's visit to Anfield on Thursday, where Liverpool could significantly close the gap and the Blues could break into the Champions League places.

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Edited by Utathya Ghosh