Manchester United's hopes of securing a top-four finish this season were slightly lifted on Monday evening following Arsenal's 3-0 defeat to Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park.
Entering the weekend's fixtures in fourth-place, the Gunners, who face United at the Emirates Stadium later this month, dropped out of the Champions League places after north London rivals Tottenham Hotspur beat Newcastle United 5-1 on Sunday. Avoiding defeat against Palace, however, would have seen them immediately move back above Antonio Conte's side.
However, they were no match for Palace, who produced an excellent display to ensure Tottenham ended the weekend as the occupants of the final Champions League berth. It means that just five points now separate Spurs in fourth and Wolves in eighth, with United currently sitting in seventh, three points behind the Londoners.
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United failed to make up ground on Saturday evening, drawing 1-1 with Leicester City at Old Trafford. However, Arsenal's surprise defeat to Palace has thrown the race wide open again, even though the Gunners still have a game in hand.
But, as proven over the weekend, the battle for fourth place is going to provide plenty of twists and turns over the coming weeks. With that in mind, MEN Sport has analysed United's remaining fixtures in comparison to those of their fellow top-four hopefuls.
Manchester United - 7th (51pts)
- Everton (A) - April 9
- Norwich City (H) - April 16
- Liverpool (A) - April 19
- Arsenal (A) - April 23
- Brentford (H) - May 2
- Brighton & Hove Albion (A) - May 7
- Chelsea (H) - May 15
- Crystal Palace (A) - May 22
Verdict: A quick glance at the Premier League form table over the last five matchdays does not make good viewing for United, certainly in comparison with Tottenham, Arsenal and West Ham United. The Reds are currently positioned 14th in the form table, whilst Spurs are at the top of the pile with four wins in their last five games, which has seen them score 19 goals in the process.
United's eight remaining fixtures offer a wide range of opposition, ranging from title challengers Liverpool to relegation-threatened Everton and Norwich City. They must pick up six points from their next two games ahead of the daunting prospect of back-to-back away games with Liverpool and Arsenal in the space of just a few days.
Tottenham - 4th (54pts)
- Aston Villa (A) - April 9
- Brighton & Hove Albion (H) - April 16
- Brentford (A) - April 23
- Leicester City (H) - April 30
- Liverpool (A) - May 7
- Arsenal (H) - May 12
- Burnley (H) - May 15
- Norwich City (A) - May 22
Arsenal - 5th (54pts)
- Brighton & Hove Albion (H) - April 9
- Southampton (A) - April 16
- Chelsea (A) - April 20
- Manchester United (H) - April 23
- West Ham United (A) - May 1
- Leeds United (H) - May 8
- Tottenham (A) - May 12
- Newcastle United (A) - May 16
- Everton (H) - May 22
West Ham United - 6th (51pts)
- Brentford (A) - April 10
- Burnley (H) - April 17
- Chelsea (A) - April 24
- Arsenal (H) - May 1
- Norwich City (A) - May 7
- Manchester City (H) - May 15
- Brighton & Hove Albion (A) - May 22
Wolves - 8th (49pts)
- Newcastle United (A) - April 8
- Burnley (A) - April 24
- Brighton & Hove Albion (H) - April 30
- Chelsea (A) - May 7
- Norwich City (H) - May 15
- Liverpool (A) - May 22
- Manchester City (H) - TBC
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