Manchester United's decisive 2-0 victory over Nottingham Forest on Sunday solidified their position in the top four of the Premier League.
United won thanks to goals from Antony and Diogo Dalot, although there were several missed opportunities that would have increased the margin of victory. Nevertheless, given that both Newcastle and Tottenham suffered losses on Saturday, the three points were even more crucial.
At Aston Villa, Eddie Howe's team was soundly defeated 3-0, while Tottenham fell to Bournemouth at home after a 95th-minute winner. Erik ten Hag's team is presently six points ahead of Spurs in sixth place and three points ahead of the Magpies.
While Brighton's victory at Chelsea enhanced their case for continental involvement, the aforementioned Villa took another step toward a late European assault. On Monday night, Liverpool will take on Leeds United at Elland Road.
Here are the next six games for United and their closest competitors.
Manchester United - 3rd (59pts)
Tottenham Hotspur (A) - April 27
Aston Villa (H) - April 30
Brighton & Hove Albion (A) - May 4
West Ham United (A) - May 7
Wolves (H) - May 13
Bournemouth (A) - May 20
Newcastle United - 4th (56pts)
Tottenham Hotspur (H) - April 23
Everton (A) - April 27
Southampton (H) - April 30
Arsenal (H) - May 7
Leeds United (A) - May 13
Leicester City (H) - May 20
Tottenham Hotspur - 5th (53pts)
Newcastle United (A) - April 23
Manchester United (H) - April 27
Liverpool (A) - April 30
Crystal Palace (H) - May 6
Aston Villa (A) - May 13
Brentford (H) - May 20
Aston Villa - 6th (50pts)
Brentford (A) - April 22
Fulham (H) - April 25
Manchester United (A) - April 30
Wolves (A) - May 6
Tottenham (H) - May 13
Liverpool (A) May 20
Brighton & Hove Albion - 7th (49pts)
Nottingham Forest (A) - April 26
Wolves (H) - April 29
Manchester United (H) - May 4
Everton (H) - May 8
Arsenal (A) - May 13
Southampton (H) - May 20
Liverpool - 8th (44 pts)
Leeds United (A) - April 17
Nottingham Forest (H) - April 22
West Ham (A) - April 26
Tottenham (H) - April 30
Fulham (H) - May 3
Brentford (H) - May 6
The absence of Marcel Sabitzer and Tyrell Malacia before Sunday's 2-0 victory against Nottingham Forest made Manchester United's injury issue worse.
The two have joined a handful of United players out injured for the vital final six weeks of the season. Diogo Dalot was switched to left defender in place of Malacia, who was unable to make the matchday squad due to a sore knee. Marcel Sabitzer was forced to be replaced by Christian Eriksen after reporting a problem during the warm-up.
In addition to Marcus Rashford, Luke Shaw, Scott McTominay, and other players who have missed the last few games, Lisandro Martinez and Raphael Varane were also forced off against Sevilla last week; the former was out for the season.
Gary Neville's predictions
The performance of center backs Harry Maguire and Victor Lindelof, according to former captain Gary Neville, will determine whether Manchester United is successful from now until the end of the season.
Neville, speaking on his Sky Sports podcast, said: "Look, for Manchester United we can whinge a little bit, but I don't think it would go anywhere by saying that Varane and Martinez have been the best pair - they have. United will miss them.
"But a lot of clubs would be in a lot worse position. I don't know how many games Maguire and Lindelof have played together, but it is an awful lot. To have such experience to come in as your third and fourth centre-backs, I think it is a great position to be in."
"We know that other teams have been without players; [Ruben] Dias has been out this season for City; we know that [Virgil] Van Dijk's been out; we know that [Joel] Matip's out regularly and [Ibrahima] Konate [all for Liverpool]. For Arsenal at the moment, [William] Saliba is out.
"So you can't really whinge when you have spent a quarter-of-a-billion pounds to have a squad that surges. You saw today [vs Nottingham Forest] with [Scott] McTominay, [Luke] Shaw and [Marcus] Rashford out, United still ended up with a really good team. I saw the team before the game and thought it was a strong team."
"[Anthony] Martial is capable of playing at the levels of Rashford - there is no doubt about that. If he can a four or five-week period where he can excel and play at his level, and they can keep him fit, then they shouldn't see too big a drop-off. Antony and [Jadon] Sancho are £175million worth of wide players."
"In midfield, you've got [Marcel] Sabitzer who's gone off and [Christian] Eriksen has come on. Fred has also come off the bench, who is a £50m midfield player, so there is a lot of strength in depth. Casemiro is obviously very important and I think he brings a real calmness and composure."
"But for United, how they do for the rest of this season, and obviously Maguire will miss the Brighton game, will be largely down to how Maguire and Lindelof bed back in again and really settle themselves. They shouldn't have a problem with that because they have got loads of experience and have got quality."
Conclusion
A crucial three points at the City Ground have put United in the driver's seat, and Ten Hag knows his team will face Tottenham in a fortnight in the top-four – Spurs and Newcastle face off next weekend, when the Reds are playing in the FA Cup.
The next three league games for United are a pivotal stretch for the season since each of the three opponents—Tottenham, Brighton, and Villa—is aiming for European football. Ten Hag needs to immediately reverse the Reds' six defeats in seven away matches against teams from the top half of the table.
If the Reds survive that time relatively undamaged, they will view victories against West Ham, Wolves, and Bournemouth as three crucial ones.
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