Martin Keown has disagreed with Gary Neville after tipping Tottenham to claim fourth in the Premier League this season.
Manchester United saw their hopes of finishing in the coveted final Champions League spot dealt a major blow on Saturday as Arsenal pulled further away from them. The Gunners’ 1-0 win at Aston Villa – courtesy of Bukayo Saka’s first-half goal – means they now sit four points ahead of United in the race for the top four.
With United not in action again until April, they can only watch on as their rivals get the chance to boost their own hopes of qualifying for Europe’s elite competition next season. Having seen Arsenal win on Saturday, United could slip down to sixth as West Ham take on Spurs on Sunday.
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Antonio Conte’s side will be aiming to overtake United, little over a week on from their defeat at Old Trafford thanks to Cristiano Ronaldo’s remarkable hat-trick. That defeat looked to have permanently damaged their hopes of finishing fourth, with Neville feeling they were all but out of the race.
However, former Arsenal defender Keown surprisingly believes his old side's north London rivals are the favourites to claim fourth this season. Despite sitting six points behind the Gunners, he feels Spurs’ remaining fixtures could work in their favour.
“There’s a lot of games to go, and I still put Spurs as favourites to make it into the top four,” Keown told BT Sport. “Arsenal are in the box seat, I know, but when you look at the fixtures, games away at Chelsea, Spurs. It’s tough.
“It’s in Arsenal’s hands and if they keep performing as they are they’ll do it, but it’s a long way to go. Palace next, there’s a lot of tough games coming up.
“They’ve won five games on the bounce away from home, they’re showing they are resilient and that they’re a different Arsenal. But let’s keep our feet on the ground and enjoy the ride.”
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