Manchester United next five fixtures compared with Aston Villa and Chelsea in Champions League race
What the remaining fixtures for Man Utd look like after they defeated Newcastle United in the Premier League.
Manchester United remain third in the Premier League after they were defeated by 10-man Newcastle in the Premier League on Wednesday night.
Will Osula was the hero from the bench as the home side hung on to snatch a narrow victory and punish a dire United performance. Anthony Gordon gave Newcastle the lead from the penalty spot after Jacob Ramsey had been sent off, before Casemiro drew the visitors level on the stroke of half-time. It looked like the frantic end to the first half would swing the game back in United’s favour but they failed to capitalise with a dire display after the restart.
It means United failed to take another step towards Champions League qualification with just nine matches left of the Premier League campaign, after Liverpool lost to Wolves on Tuesday night and Aston Villa were thumped by Chelsea. A top-four finish will be enough for a place in the top continental club competition, while a top-five finish will also likely be sufficient based on the current Uefa coefficient rankings.
Manchester United next five fixtures
Manchester United are well-positioned to secure Champions League qualification ahead of Aston Villa, Chelsea and Liverpool, with a top-five finish likely to be enough for a place in the tournament.
Michael Carrick's side face a lengthy break until they take on Aston Villa at Old Trafford on Sunday 15 March, before they then travel to face Bournemouth on Friday 20 March. There is then another agonising wait of almost a month before they welcome Leeds to Old Trafford on Monday 13 April.
United then travel to face Chelsea in the late match on Saturday 18 April, before they welcome Brentford on Monday 27 April.
Aston Villa and Chelsea next five matches
Manchester United will hope to gain some ground on their fellow top-four hopefuls over the coming weeks to keep their European dreams alive. Here is a look at who the other Champions League hopefuls face over the next five matches.
Aston Villa: Lille (A - Champions League), United (A), Lille (H - Champions League), West Ham (H), Nottingham Forest (A).
Liverpool: Wolves (A - FA Cup), Galatasaray (A - Champions League), Tottenham (H), Galatasaray (H - Champions League), Brighton (A).
Chelsea: Wrexham (A - FA Cup), PSG (A - Champions League), Newcastle (H), PSG (H - Champions League), Everton (A).
Brentford: West Ham (A - FA Cup), Wolves (H), Leeds (H), Everton (H), Fulham (H).
Everton: Arsenal (A), Chelsea (H), Brentford (A), Liverpool (H), West Ham (A).
Bournemouth: Burnley (A), United (H), Arsenal (A), Newcastle (A), Leeds (H).
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