Aston Villa secured Champions League qualification with a win over Liverpool on Thursday night. In doing so, they’ve made Manchester United’s quest to finish third slightly easier.
Although Manchester United secured a Champions League spot at the beginning of May, after a 3-2 win over Liverpool, Michael Carrick remains eager to finish the season strongly by sealing third spot.
It would mark a huge improvement from last season, when United finished 15th in the Premier League after losing the Europa League final to Tottenham Hotspur.
Aston Villa are the latest side to book a place in Europe’s biggest competition following an impressive 4-2 win over Liverpool on Friday night. It means Liverpool go into the final week of the season not knowing if they will be competing in the Champions League next season.
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After Villa’s 4-2 win over Liverpool at Villa Park, Unai Emery’s side are fourth (62 points) with one game left to play.
That means Villa can finish on a maximum of 65 points, which is what United are on with two games left to play.
Villa’s goal difference of six is significantly weaker than United’s (15), which is a key factor as things stand.
So, United would have to lose their remaining two matches against Nottingham Forest and Brighton, plus throw away an 8-goal advantage on goal difference.
| Position | Team | Played MP | Won W | Drawn D | Lost L | For GF | Against GA | Diff GD | Points Pts |
| 1 |  ArsenalArsenal | 36 | 24 | 7 | 5 | 68 | 26 | 42 | 79 |
| 2 |  Manchester CityManchester City | 36 | 23 | 8 | 5 | 75 | 32 | 43 | 77 |
| 3 |  Manchester UnitedManchester United | 36 | 18 | 11 | 7 | 63 | 48 | 15 | 65 |
| 4 |  LiverpoolLiverpool | 36 | 17 | 8 | 11 | 60 | 48 | 12 | 59 |
| 5 |  Aston VillaAston Villa | 36 | 17 | 8 | 11 | 50 | 46 | 4 | 59 |
| 6 |  BournemouthBournemouth | 36 | 13 | 16 | 7 | 56 | 52 | 4 | 55 |
A point from the last two games of the season would make it impossible for Villa to overtake United in the standings.
This marks a significant improvement since United finished 42 points behind Liverpool last season, but will now finish ahead of Slot’s this season.
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Jadon Sancho stats against Liverpool
It remains to be seen what the future holds for Jadon Sancho.
The United loanee is set to become a free agent in the summer, and he is struggling to get into the Villa side as things stand.
Sancho came off the bench to play one minute against Arne Slot’s side.
The winger managed 4/5 successful passes and touched the ball six times.
On Wednesday night, he could play a third European final as a United loanee, if Emery thinks he could impact the game in Villa’s favour.
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