Neville Backs United's Top-Four Credentials After Liverpool Slip; City Sends Arsenal a Warning

Manchester United's resurgence under interim boss Michael Carrick has convinced Gary Neville the Red Devils are now best-placed among the Champions League hopefuls to secure a top-four finish.

United extended their winning run to four games with a commanding 2-0 triumph over Spurs at Old Trafford on Saturday, a result that leaves them just three points adrift of third-placed Aston Villa and holding a one-point buffer over Chelsea in fifth.

Speaking on his Sky Sports podcast, Neville suggested United have overtaken their rivals in the confidence stakes. "The team that is most confident about finishing in the top four out of Aston Villa, Manchester United, Chelsea and Liverpool right now is probably United," he explained. "Everything at Man United is looking really, really good and they do look like they've got an incredible chance of qualifying for the Champions League."

The former United defender acknowledged the volatility of the current campaign, noting that no side in the upper reaches can afford complacency. "No one in that top-five or six will be thinking they're okay. Even City might have come back a bit if they had lost today," he said. "No one will feel safe because it's a bizarre season, teams are beating each other and strange things are happening."

Neville also highlighted the advantage United now hold. "They don't have the confusion and the chaos of the fixture list that the others do so they have a massive chance now to get back into the Champions League. That would have been unthinkable only four or five weeks ago."

The turnaround has been stark following the turbulent tenure of Ruben Amorim. "It was terrible under Ruben Amorim, it was shocking. But now the results are excellent and the performances are fantastic," Neville reflected.

Meanwhile, Manchester City's dramatic late fightback to beat Liverpool 2-1 on Sunday has injected fresh drama into the title race. City came from behind to claim the victory, a result that could see them within three points of leaders Arsenal by midweek.

Neville was emphatic about the significance of City's comeback. "Well ten minutes ago the title race was done. It was now or never for Man City – it's now! Sometimes in a title race a team will grab an opportunity, City have grabbed one." He added: "Man City were 1-0 down and they've gone and won. If you want to sent a signal, you've just sent it. They've struggled lately, it was like they were refusing to enter the title race. But they've entered it in style."

Former Tottenham and England goalkeeper Paul Robinson praised the spectacle of the Liverpool-City encounter. "What a brilliant game of football. It had everything," he told BBC Radio Five Live. "That is the perfect example of Premier League football – two heavyweights going at it to win three points. No one was sitting back."

Robinson highlighted the psychological lift City will gain from their turnaround. "What can this do to Manchester City confidence-wise going forward? It's all about putting runs together at this stage and that is a massive result can give them a huge confidence boost. They might well just – and I mean just – be in this."