Manchester United recorded their first Premier League win in three matches with a 2-1 victory over Crystal Palace at Old Trafford on Saturday afternoon.
Goals from Bruno Fernandes and the in-form Marcus Rashford either side of the half-time interval secured a hard-fought three points for the Reds, who have now won each of their last 13 matches in all competitions on home soil. Casemiro's second half red card threatened to put a dent in what was another important victory, but the blow was softened slightly just over 24 hours later when Manchester City were beaten 1-0 by Tottenham Hotspur.
Defeat for City in the capital meant that they missed out on the chance to cut the gap on table-toppers Arsenal, who lost 1-0 to Everton on Saturday lunchtime, to just two points. It means United will now move level on points with City in the table if they beat Leeds United at Old Trafford on Wednesday night.
READ MORE: United's 14-pass move vs Palace showed Erik ten Hag's plan is working
The Reds, despite still being in with a chance of winning the title this season, are focused, first and foremost, on bagging a top-four finish and a place in the Champions League for next season. They have lost just one of their eight league games and have form in their sails.
With the club continuing to make sufficient progress under manager Erik ten Hag, and the battle for both the title and a top-four finish becoming more and more interesting, MEN Sport has taken a close look at United's next six league fixtures in comparison to those they are currently fighting against.
Manchester United - 3rd (42pts)
- Leeds United (H) - February 8
- Leeds United (A) - February 12
- Leicester City (H) - February 19
- Liverpool (A) - March 5
- Southampton (H) - March 11
- Brighton & Hove Albion (A) - March 19
Verdict: With United's back-to-back clashes with Leeds to come on Wednesday evening and at 2pm on Sunday afternoon, they will, if they win both fixtures, move three points ahead of City in the standings ahead of Pep Guardiola's side next being in action at 4:30pm on Sunday. The Reds should be targeting nine points from nine from their next three home games and will be confident of registering a first win at Anfield since January 2016, such is the state of Liverpool's current woes.
The trip to the Amex Stadium to face Brighton at the end of this six-game sequence could be considered as the toughest test United have in the coming weeks. The Seagulls are in excellent form, winning four of their last six league matches.
Arsenal - 1st (50pts)
- Brentford (H) - February 11
- Manchester City (H) - February 15
- Aston Villa (A) - February 18
- Leicester City (A) - February 25
- Bournemouth (H) - March 4
- Fulham (A) - March 12
Manchester City - 2nd (45pts)
- Aston Villa (H) - February 12
- Arsenal (A) - February 15
- Nottingham Forest (A) - February 18
- Bournemouth (A) - February 25
- Newcastle United (H) - March 4
- Crystal Palace (A) - March 11
Newcastle United - 4th (40pts)
- Bournemouth (A) - February 11
- Liverpool (H) - February 18
- Manchester City (A) - March 4
- Wolves (H) - March 12
- Nottingham Forest (A) - March 17
- Manchester United (H) - April 1
Tottenham Hotspur - 5th (39pts)
- Leicester City (A) - February 11
- West Ham United (H) - February 19
- Chelsea (H) - February 26
- Wolves (A) - March 4
- Nottingham Forest (H) - March 11
- Southampton (A) - March 18
*All fixtures are subject to change.
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