At the end of the season, Liverpool and Brighton are two competitors for the top 4 position with Man United.
Liverpool with 4 matches yet to play can win a maximum of 71 points, while Brighton has 6 matches left and can win a maximum of 73 points.
In theory, the task of Man United (63 points) in the remaining 5 matches is to win at least 11 points to be sure to have a ticket to the Champions League 2022/23. 11 points is equivalent to 3 wins, 2 draws. If the “Red Devils” did not accomplish this goal, Brighton can enter the top 4, provided that the Amex Stadium team wins the entire remainder of the season.
In terms of fixtures, MU has the advantage of not having to face any of the top 9 teams for the rest of the season (West Ham, Wolves, Bournemouth, Chelsea and Fulham). In which, MU can also play 3 matches at home. The performance of the “Red Devils” at Old Trafford is quite impressive with 27 consecutive unbeaten matches.
In the opposite direction, Brighton faces a stormy schedule when they have to meet Arsenal and Newcastle (both away). In the penultimate round, “Gulls” also encountered Man City, not to mention Everton, Southampton or Aston Villa are also ready to surprise teachers and coach Roberto De Zerbi.
With the above schedule, the possibility of Brighton dropping points is quite high. However, Man United still needs to improve their form to decide their own fate, instead of leaving it to chance.
Speaking after the loss to Brighton, “criminal” Luke Shaw, who made MU conceded from the penalty spot, said: “I’m very sad. I don’t understand why my arm was raised at that time. Anyway, The race for the top four is still under Man United’s control.”
Meanwhile, coach Erik ten Hag expressed dissatisfaction: “We had the opportunity but could not take advantage, and then gradually lost control leading to defeat. I do not want to talk about the phase of the ball touching the hand. because it was so obvious. However, I was not happy with the referee giving Brighton a free kick leading to a corner situation afterwards.”
In the next round, MU met West Ham, while Brighton faced Everton.