Manchester United Backed to Defy Odds in Premier League Race After Everton Win

Following Manchester United's 1-0 victory over Everton, Gary Neville has expressed confidence that the club could secure a third-place finish in the Premier League.

Manchester United have maintained an unbeaten record under interim manager Michael Carrick, with their latest win coming on Monday Night Football.

Benjamin Sesko came off the bench to score for the third consecutive game, sealing a crucial victory that saw United climb to fourth in the table.

The result gives them a three-point cushion over fifth-placed Chelsea, who stumbled with a draw against Burnley over the weekend.

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With Aston Villa only three points ahead in third, Neville believes United are in a strong position, especially as their rivals face the added distraction of European knockout competitions in March.

Speaking on the Gary Neville Podcast, the former United captain shared his optimistic outlook. "They've got an incredible opportunity to finish in the top four. I think they will," he stated. "The other teams start playing in Europe, they've got distractions. United haven't got any distractions."

Gary Neville acknowledged that Manchester United's performance against Everton was not spectacular but highlighted their newfound resilience.

"I just think they're now starting to get over the line in games where they wouldn't have done before," he added. "I think they could finish third, I really do."

He continued, "These teams have got European football in front of them and that's a big distraction. Manchester United don't have that and I think they're in a decent place... They're winning when they play well, they're winning when they don't play well."

Reflecting on the team's turnaround, Neville admitted his earlier scepticism. "I've probably said at times in this last three months: Manchester United have no chance of finishing in the Champions League, but this is just a bizarre season. It's been an incredible points total that's been pulled together."

Despite the confident predictions from the two pundits, the Opta supercomputer projects a different outcome, currently placing Manchester United in fifth position at the end of the season.

According to the data model, both Aston Villa (86.4%) and Liverpool (48.1%) have a higher probability of finishing in the top four than Manchester United, who are given a 42.3% chance.

However, a fifth-place finish could still be enough to secure a Champions League spot. Due to the strong performance of English clubs in Europe this season, the Premier League is in a favourable position to be awarded an extra qualification place based on UEFA's coefficient rankings.

The top two performing nations in European competitions this season will be rewarded with an additional Champions League place, known as a European Performance Spot.

England is in a commanding position, being the only country with all its clubs still competing across UEFA tournaments.

Newcastle United remains in the Champions League, while Nottingham Forest and Crystal Palace are set for knockout play-offs in the Europa League and Europa Conference League, respectively.

Although a top-two finish in the coefficient table is not yet mathematically guaranteed, with plenty of European football still to be played, the outlook is overwhelmingly positive. For comparison, England's spot was only confirmed in April last season.

However, data analytics firm Opta is confident that the outcome is already decided. According to their expected points model, England has a 100% probability of securing one of the two coveted European Performance Spots.