Gary Neville has claimed that Tottenham Hotspur would not have liked the fact that Manchester United beat Aston Villa on Sunday, thus making the race for fourth spot into a three-horse contest.
Spurs needed to win against Brighton on Saturday to keep pace with the top sides and they pulled off what felt like a monumental result, which was borne out by the reaction of the players and the coaching staff when Brennan Johnson turned home a stoppage-time winner.
As one would expect against the Seagulls, it was a hard-fought encounter with the away side enjoying periods of dominance but the game demonstrated the value of the firepower that Ange Postecoglou can bring on from the bench, now that he has a nearly fully-fit squad.
That result followed by Villa’s subsequent loss at home to Man Utd on Friday meant that Spurs climbed back up to the fourth spot, but the Red Devils will also believe that they are now in the think of the race for Champions League qualification, having moved to six points off fourth.
Are Man United now rivals for the top four again?
Neville believes that Tottenham would have preferred to see Unai Emery’s men get the better of the Red Devils and make it a two-horse race for the final guaranteed Champions League spot.
The pundit said on The Gary Neville podcast: “It was a huge win for United, they couldn’t afford to go 11 points behind Villa otherwise that race would’ve been over.
“Now, I think the pressure is off of those Manchester United players and the manager even though the barometer for the end of the season will be achieving Champions League football.
“To get within five points of Villa means there’s serious pressure on them now, and even some on Tottenham as well. I actually think Tottenham may have wanted Villa to beat Man United today to keep them further away and to take it from a three-horse race into a two-horse one.”
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I understand Neville’s argument as Spurs might perceive Man Utd as a bigger threat for the top four than Villa, given the former experience of finishing in those positions.
However, Ange Postecoglou and his players will be looking to chase down the teams above them in the table rather than looking over their shoulders.