Race for the top four

There were twists and turns in the top-four race this weekend, as Manchester United and Manchester City dropped points to Leicester and Southampton respectively.

United were held to a 1-1 draw by Leicester at Old Trafford on Super Sunday, while City slumped to a 4-2 defeat against Southampton at St Mary’s Stadium.

Those results came after Arsenal had moved up to third with a 1-0 win over Norwich on Saturday, while there was also a 3-0 victory for West Ham against West Brom. 

Liverpool’s 3-1 defeat to Swansea all but ended their hopes of a top-four finish, but the race is still open for the four sides above them. So who has the toughest run-in? And could European competition prove a distraction? We assess the chances of the top-four chasers… 

Form

West Ham may have the most ground to make up, but they certainly look like the form side. Slaven Bilic’s men are unbeaten in 10 Premier League games, and they are the only top-four contender to have won each of their last two fixtures.

Manchester United might reflect on their failure to take three points against Leicester as a missed opportunity after City’s defeat to Southampton, but they are not completely out of form having won four of their previous five games – with the exception of their 3-0 defeat by Tottenham in April.

City, meanwhile, had been in fine form before their shock defeat to Southampton, having taken 13 points from 15 in their previous five games – a run which included emphatic victories over Bournemouth, Chelsea and Stoke. Manuel Pellegrini must now ensure the heavy defeat …

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