Manchester United are keeping the race for Champions League qualifying alive, but it is the hopes of everyone else that they are sustaining.
Erik ten Hag’s team should have shut the door on the top four at Tottenham Hotspur, but by blowing a two-goal lead and holding on for a 2-2 draw, they have given us a Super Sunday double-header this weekend that might spark a four-way race to the finish line for fourth place.
Or they may simply get the job and claim a top-four slot for themselves. United had the opportunity to win convincingly and beat a top ten side away from home for the first time since defeating Fulham in November, despite trailing Spurs 6-1 at halftime. United were playing under their second interim manager, Ryan Mason, since Antonio Conte’s dismissal last month.
But they botched it, as a combination of wasted chances and goals by Pedro Porro and Son Heung-Min allowed Spurs to salvage a point and go into Sunday’s match against seventh-place Liverpool at Anfield knowing that they may still finish in the top four.
“When you are 2-0 up, you are of course disappointed when you draw,” Ten Hag said. “After going to 2-1, we missed too many chances to take it to 3-1. “We need to manage the game, keep the ball. We gave so many easy balls away. It was so easy for them (Spurs).”
Spurs moved up to fifth, six points behind United after two more games, but with United facing sixth-placed Aston Villa (also six points behind fourth) at Old Trafford on Sunday, the race for fourth might look quite different by the end of the season. And this is largely due to United’s failure to raise the drawbridge.
They are ninth in the Premier League form table after winning four, losing two, and drawing two of their previous eight games. Villa have roared into contention in recent weeks, winning six and drawing two of their past eight games under Unai Emery. Villa would have finished third if the season had begun eight games earlier.
Tottenham’s form has dropped off a cliff with two wins and three defeats their last eight, but United haven’t quite been able to shake them off. This game was the big opportunity to do that, but United failed to take it.
And Liverpool’s recent run of success, which has seen them win three games in a row, has offered Jurgen Klopp’s side a chance to sneak into the top four, despite the fact that they are seven points behind United and have played one game more. There are two clear reasons why United are still battling for a top-four spot: a dearth of goals and a defense that can’t keep it tight at the back, and both showed up against Spurs. Only Villa (46) has less goals than United (46) in the top seven. They are at least ten goals behind the leaders, with Arsenal scoring 78 and Manchester City scoring 82.
United’s defense is the worst in the top four, having conceded 39 goals, but their goals against column is more favorable when compared to Spurs (53), Villa (41) and Liverpool (39).
The Red Devils’ pursuit of a proven goalscorer during the summer transfer window has already been well publicized, with Harry Kane and Napoli’s Victor Osimhen the top targets.
ESPN reported last month that United’s concerns about dealing with Spurs chairman Daniel Levy, who is notorious for being difficult to negotiate with when offloading a player, could force them to abandon their interest in Kane, but United fans made their feelings clear during the first half of this game by singing, ‘Harry Kane, we’ll see you in June.’
Perhaps optimistic, given that Levy is unlikely to consider a deal until the last hours of deadline day on August 31, but with Kane in their lineup, United would be an entirely different proposition. Kane and his presence in Ten Hag’s lineup alongside Marcus Rashford would have taken the chances they lost against Spurs.
who put United 2-0 up following Jadon Sancho’s opener, would arguably make them City’s closest challengers next season. But it is because United don’t have a Kane in their line-up that they are still uncertain of their Champions League qualification ambitions.
They should finish fourth due to the lead they have already established, but until they complete the task, there will be questions. If United wins on Sunday, they will be able to take a breather. But they should be well over the line by now, so nothing can be taken for granted.
“We need energy,” stated Ten Hag. “We have to be ready for Sunday.”
If United aren’t ready and Villa take advantage, the final month of the season will be far more nerve-racking than necessary.
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