Gary Neville believes Cristiano Ronaldo has all but ended Tottenham’s hopes of making the top four but still feels Arsenal hold the advantage over Manchester United.
Ralf Rangnick's side still harbour hopes of finishing fourth this term as they look to qualify for next season’s Champions League. The Premier League is now United's only possible avenue of qualification for Europe's premier club competition having been knocked out of the Champions League by Atletico Madrid in midweek.
United gave their hopes of a top-four finish a major boost last weekend as Ronaldo’s hat-trick secured a 3-2 win over Spurs. However, Antonio Conte's side managed to bounce back in midweek with a 2-0 win over Brighton and they now sit just three points off fourth spot.
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United, meanwhile, are just one point off the top four. That being said, Arsenal – who currently occupy the final Champions League place – still have two games in hand.
West Ham, who made the quarter-finals of the Europa League with a brilliant victory over Sevilla this week, also remain in the hunt, sitting two points behind United. Wolves’ lingering hopes were dealt a major blow on Friday after they threw away a 2-0 lead against Leeds to lose 3-2.
It means the race for the top four is still in the balance as the season heads into the home straight. Former United captain Neville has admitted he doesn’t know if his former side will make the cut, though he believes Ronaldo's magical hat-trick has undoubtedly boosted their hopes.
“I think West Ham and Wolves will just fall short, but they’ve had amazing seasons,” Neville told Sky Sports. “Tottenham still have an outside chance, but they’re just inconsistent. If they had beat Manchester United, it was such a tight game that could’ve gone either way, then they’d have really been in it.
“Spurs are making more mistakes than Arsenal are. Who knows what Manchester United will offer up in the next few weeks. West Ham have had an unbelievable season. Arsenal are in the box seat.”
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