Rat Race For Top Four Places Still Wide Open

Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal insists the "rat race" for the Barclays Premier League top-four places is still on after this weekend's round of fixtures kept the door ajar for the chasing pack.

United need six points from three remaining fixtures to guarantee Champions League football next season. A win at Selhurst Park could see van Gaal's side clinch fourth spot at home to Arsenal in the final Old Trafford game of the season on 17 May, and the Dutchman is well aware of what's at stake.

"Maybe you'll remember that in all of my press conferences, I've said that until the end, it will be a rat race," he says. "I was the only one, because we were seven points ahead and I said it was still possible to slip up. I'm aware of that, my players are aware of that. We have to keep our confidence and finish our chances."

Manchester City and Arsenal, in second and third spot respectively, have games in hand on the Reds and are both on 67 points, while Liverpool recovered from a defeat at Hull to move four points behind United with a 2-1 win over QPR on Saturday after departing captain Steven Gerrard’s late winner.

Tottenham Hotspur also have a glimmer of hope and could go level on 61 points with Liverpool (United are 65) as Mauricio Pochettino’s side host Manchester City on Sunday.

With many of the teams still to face each other, the race to feature in next season’s Champions League is very much at a decisive stage with just a handful of matches still to play.

The rat race - 2014/15 remaining fixtures:

MANCHESTER CITY | 2ND | FORM: LWLLWW
Sun 3 May Tottenham (A); Sun 10 May QPR (H); Sun 17 May Swansea (A); Sun 24 May Southampton (H)

ARSENAL | 3RD | FORM: WWWWWD
Mon 4 May Hull (A); Mon 11 May Swansea (H); Sun 17 May United (A); Wed 20 May Sunderland (H); Sun 24 May West Brom (H)

MANCHESTER UNITED | 4TH | FORM: WWWLLL
Sat 9 May Crystal Palace (A); Sun 17 May Arsenal (H); Sun 24 May Hull (A)

LIVERPOOL | 5TH | FORM: LLWDLW
Sun 10 May Chelsea (A); Sat 16 May Crystal Palace (H); Sun 24 May Stoke (A)

TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR | 6TH | FORM: LWDLWD
Sun 3 May Man City (H); Sat 9 May Stoke (A); Sat 16 May Hull (H); Sun 24 May Everton (A)