What a difference a week makes.
Just seven days after taking a giant stride towards securing a top-four finish with a 1-0 win over Aston Villa, Manchester United, all of a sudden, are now looking nervously over their shoulders. Sunday night's 1-0 defeat to West Ham United has left them just one point ahead of fifth-placed Liverpool with just three weeks of the season remaining.
David de Gea's latest howler gifted the Hammers all three points at the London Stadium, leaving Erik ten Hag and his United players to reflect on a second away defeat in just four days. The Reds have taken just four points from the last 12 on offer and have scored just one goal in their last three matches. They're stuttering at the wrong time.
READ MORE: United players' reaction to David de Gea mistake shows a change is needed
Liverpool, on the flip side, are gathering momentum like a train, chalking up a sixth successive Premier League win with Saturday's 1-0 triumph over Brentford at Anfield. Though it wasn't pretty, it was a victory that has put them right back in the conversation for a top-four finish.
Only a week ago, United looked a certain bet to achieve a top-four spot, resulting in Champions League qualification for next season being secured. Suddenly, however, nerves appear to be creeping in, with their defeats to Brighton & Hove Albion and the Hammers not offering much in the way of confidence.
Although United should take comfort from the fact that three of their last four Premier League fixtures are at home, recent results coupled with Liverpool's charge up the table mean that pressure could get to them, just as it has on several occasions this season when the going has got tough. We all remember what happened at Anfield and St James' Park only recently, don't we?
The prospect of United missing out on the top four, however, is worrying. They have occupied a Champions League spot ever since beating Wolves 1-0 at Molineux on New Year's Eve and the thought of dropping out of the top four so close to the finish line would be a disaster, especially after how much effort was put into recovering from a poor start to the season and then staying there.
But beyond the prospect of missing out on Champions League qualification, there is an even deeper concern: the impact it would have on recruitment. Securing a place in Europe's premier club competition for next term, as Ten Hag outlined only last week, would have a hugely positive impact on the club's transfer plans, enabling them to attract better players with higher ceilings this summer.
"All the big players want to play in the Champions League," Ten Hag told Sky Sports. "Manchester United is a big club. In the period I've been here, I've noticed everyone wants to play for Manchester United.
"It's very important for the rebuild of this club that we are in the Champions League. The players know they want to be in the Champions League, they want to be at the top of the Premier League."
Champions League qualification will, of course, have a massive bearing on what United can and cannot do this summer, not least in relation to their pursuit of Tottenham Hotspur ace Harry Kane. As has been well-documented in recent weeks, Kane is Ten Hag's top target to strengthen the Reds' attacking options this summer and recent performances have highlighted just how much they could do with a striker with such lethal predatory instincts in and around the penalty area.
The England captain, after all he has achieved on a personal level in recent years, deserves the opportunity to win his first piece of silverware and you would argue that United would give him a better chance of achieving that than Spurs. But being able to offer Champions League football as part of the package would be a significant string in United's bow.
Kane deserves to play in Europe's premier club competition, opposed to banging the goals in against Europa League fodder on Thursday nights, and United have to ensure they can offer that guarantee in their sales pitch. Without it, they are going to find it incredibly hard to attract Kane or any other elite-level striker.
It means, all of a sudden, their four remaining Premier League fixtures will have a massive say in the next phase of Ten Hag's rebuild, not least their pursuit of Kane. If United fall short, allowing Liverpool to pip them to the post, the Dutchman is going to have an even bigger job on his hands.
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