For most teams in the Premier League, there are now just eight games remaining. As such, we are very much at the business end of the campaign and results take on greater significance as the number of points still up for grabs dwindles. The battle to qualify for the Champions League next term may be the most interesting sub-plot in the weeks ahead, with Arsenal seemingly set to finally win the title, and the relegation fight less compelling given we have long known two of the three sides set for the drop (probably!).
Despite some highly underwhelming results for Premier League clubs in the first legs of the round of 16, English football still seems highly likely to earn an extra UCL spot for 2026/27. With the Gunners and Man City almost certain to take two of those, it looks like being a four-way battle for the three remaining spots at Europe’s top table next term.
It is not beyond the realms of possibility that Brentford, Everton, or maybe even Newcastle could force their way into the battle. However, realistically, it seems that Man United, Aston Villa, Liverpool and Chelsea will slug it out over the last eight games of the season, with three of them set to make the CL and one having to settle for the Europa League. With that in mind, it was a very good weekend indeed for Manchester United.
Red Devils Coming Good at Right Time
Time will tell whether Michael Carrick gets the job as Man United manager on a permanent basis or whether the club’s hierarchy instead opts for a more experienced, glamorous option. However, the former Middlesbrough boss has been doing an excellent job since taking over from Ruben Amorim on the 13th of January.
In truth, the Red Devils were not in terrible shape when Carrick became the caretaker. They had lost just one of their previous nine Premier League matches and were still very much in the hunt for a top-five finish, sitting seventh in a very congested table. Even so, they have clearly been doing better since their former midfielder took charge. He’s simplified the tactics and deployed a formation their squad was more familiar with, an approach that appears to be working wonders.
Carrick has overseen seven wins from nine games in the dugout, with just one loss in that time. They have been scoring more freely and have been much better at the back, and they have also recorded some huge wins under the caretaker boss. His first two matches in charge saw United beat Man City 2-0 at Old Trafford, and then they followed up with a fine 3-2 away victory at Arsenal! Not a bad early audition for the job, to say the least.
Perfect Weekend
Their latest result was another cracker as they got the better of Champions League rivals Aston Villa. United won 3-1 in front of their own fans in what was essentially a six-pointer. Having previously been ahead of the Villans on goal difference alone, they are now three points above them as they look to make third place in the table their own. Or possibly even catch a stuttering Man City and claim second.
United have the advantage of only having eight games left in their whole season. They were not in Europe and exited both domestic cups at the first time of asking. This could prove crucial in terms of their league finish, and they could not have hoped for much better results at the weekend.
Goals from Casemiro, Matheus Cunha and the increasingly deadly Benjamin Sesko (who has scored eight goals in his last 10 games, despite mainly being used off the bench) have given the fans real confidence this season can end well. United supporters had already seen Chelsea get beaten 1-0 at home by Newcastle on Saturday. That result meant that the 3-1 win moved Carrick’s troops six points clear of the west Londoners.
On Sunday, there was another great result for United, as Liverpool drew 1-1 with Spurs. A draw, even at home, against another member of the “big six” (Spurs can cling on to membership of that elite cabal for now) would not ordinarily be a terrible result. However, Liverpool fans and their manager must be deeply concerned about their inability to win at Anfield against a side that had lost their last six games and has yet to record a Premier League win in 2026.
These three results mean that United are now very much in the box seat as far as confirming a spot in next term’s Champions League goes. They are five points better off than Liverpool, and with their three rivals all stuttering badly, they will feel they will not need all that many more wins to get the job done.