Aston Villa 1-2 Man Utd: 'Momentum' with Red Devils as they hunt down top-four rivals

[CharlieH]

 

Legendary former Manchester United skipper Roy Keane is convinced a top-four finish is in sight, while manager Erik ten Hag has growing belief.

In points terms, United may only be three closer to the coveted top four following their win at Aston Villa on Sunday than they were after losing at Nottingham Forest on 30 December.

 

But the optics are with them.

Three Premier League victories in a row, including late winners at Wolves and now Villa Park after Scott McTominay settled a game United could easily have lost. Four successive triumphs in all competitions for the first time this season and winnable matches against Luton and Fulham to come.

This latest win leaves them just six points off fourth-placed Spurs and a point nearer Aston Villa in fifth, which could even be enough to seal Champions League football next season with the two most successful countries in Europe securing an extra spot in next year's revamped competition.

Keane is happy to turn the spotlight on the sides United are trying to chase down.

"They have the momentum," the Irishman told Sky Sports. "The teams ahead of them - especially Aston Villa and Tottenham - will be worried. They are hunting them down."

Former Manchester United full-back Gary Neville added: "Man Utd could have been out of it today but they now within touching distance."

Ten Hag does not do hyperbole. But he does do blunt analysis.

"We put ourselves in this situation and we have to catch up," he said. "We can beat any opponent away or home but sometimes away we have to believe it more.

"We could have won in Arsenal, we deserved to win there, and we could have won in Liverpool, it is about belief and this team today believed we could win."

 

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