The Premier League weekend ended with a shock result: Leeds United beat Manchester United at Old Trafford. But according to Gary Neville, it is Chelsea’s fault.
Leeds ended a 45-year wait as Ethan Ampadu’s side beat Man United at Old Trafford in the league for the first time since 1981. It sees Man United stay on 55 points, seven ahead of Liam Rosenior’s Chelsea.
The Blues have been stuck on 48 points for three Premier League games now, having lost to Newcastle, Everton and Man City. For the first time since 1998, Chelsea have failed to score in three successive losses.
Chelsea’s chances of Champions League football are hanging by a thread. They sit four points behind Arne Slot’s Liverpool with six games to play, and Chelsea go to Manchester United on the weekend.
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There is a glimmer of hope, thanks to Leeds’ win, for Chelsea. A bit more pressure on Michael Carrick’s side with Chelsea up next. Gary Neville reckons Chelsea are partly to blame for Man United’s defeat.
Manchester United had not played for 24 days before the loss
With the international break and Man United being knocked out of the FA Cup, Monday night was their first game for more than three weeks, and it showed. Leeds had just beaten West Ham in the FA Cup.
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But on his Sky Sports podcast, Neville pointed to Chelsea’s lack of form as a reason Man United didn’t turn up on Monday. He thinks the defeat to Man City meant Man United’s players were unmotivated.
“I’m not going to make excuses for Man United. Possibly being undercooked, not playing for so long. A really strange period. Chelsea doing what they did yesterday [on Sunday], maybe made them think ‘oh, we’re ok’. Chelsea struggling, now seven points clear, we’ll just rock up and beat Leeds at Old Trafford.”
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Not only will Rosenior be concerned about his side’s chances of a top-five finish, but the former Hull and Strasbourg gaffer will also be looking over his shoulder. Brentford and Everton sit only a point behind.
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A win against Manchester United will take Chelsea within a point of Liverpool, and within four of Carrick’s men. Ideal for Chelsea too, is that they face Man United before Liverpool and Aston Villa play on Sunday.
Villa will be expected to beat Sunderland at home on Sunday, but Liverpool have to go to Everton, where anything could happen. A win for Chelsea this weekend would be enormous and crucial for Rosenior.
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