Premier League Race For Top Four: Man Utd, West Ham, Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur, and Wolves appear to be battling it out for a top-four finish, with Manchester City pulling away at the top and Liverpool and Chelsea on track for a top-three finish.
At the moment, four points separate fourth-placed Manchester United and eighth-placed Wolves, setting up an exciting contest to qualify for the Champions League next season.
Here, we look at the fourth-place finishers, their form, and their schedules till the end of the season…
Premier League Table
Premier League — Top half
| Pos. | P | W | D | L | GD | Pts | Form | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Man City | 23 | 18 | 3 | 2 | 41 | 57 | WWWWWD |
| 2 | Liverpool | 22 | 14 | 6 | 2 | 39 | 48 | WDLDWW |
| 3 | Chelsea | 24 | 13 | 8 | 3 | 30 | 47 | WDDLDW |
| 4 | Man Utd | 22 | 11 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 38 | DWLDWW |
| 5 | West Ham | 23 | 11 | 4 | 8 | 10 | 37 | LWWWLL |
| 6 | Arsenal | 21 | 11 | 3 | 7 | 8 | 36 | WWWWLD |
| 7 | Tottenham | 20 | 11 | 3 | 6 | 2 | 36 | DWDWWL |
| 8 | Wolves | 21 | 10 | 4 | 7 | 3 | 34 | LWDWWW |
| 9 | Brighton | 22 | 6 | 12 | 4 | 30 | WDWDDD | |
| 10 | Leicester | 20 | 7 | 5 | 8 | -3 | 26 | LWLWLD |
Manchester United
Position: 4th
Games played: 22
Points: 38
Top-four Sky Bet odds: 6/4
Active cup competitions: Champions League
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Ralf Rangnick’s interim stay began with three league wins in a row, which has helped Manchester United climb to fourth place in the rankings. United rebounded from a dismal loss to Wolves and a stalemate with Aston Villa with victory over Brentford and top-four rivals West Ham.
Cristiano Ronaldo and his teammates will have a difficult second half of the season as they attempt to maintain their position in the table. With games against Southampton, Brighton, and Leeds in February, the club might hit a stumbling block, with more matches with top-four rivals in March and April.
United’s Champions League credentials will be put to the test after the loan departures of Anthony Martial, Amad Diallo, and Donny van de Beek in January.
Key fixtures: Man City (A)- Saturday Mar 5; kick-off 3pm, Tottenham (H) – Saturday Mar 12; kick-off 3pm, Liverpool (A) – Saturday Mar 19; kick-off 3pm, Leicester (H) – Saturday Apr 2; kick-off 3pm, Arsenal (A) – Saturday Apr 23; kick-off 3pm, Chelsea (H) – Sunday May 15; kick-off 3pm.
West Ham
Position: 5th
Games played: 23
Points: 37
Top-four Sky Bet odds: 14/1
Active cup competitions: Europa League and FA Cup
West Ham has enjoyed an excellent start to the season. The Hammers were flying high under David Moyes and looked like genuine title contenders. Despite victories against Liverpool and Chelsea at home, they had a wobble in November with back-to-back defeats to Wolves and Man City, followed by defeats to Arsenal and Southampton in December.
They rebounded admirably, though, as victories over Watford, Crystal Palace, and Norwich placed them firmly back in contention for a place in the Champions League. However, on January 22, they were relegated to fourth position after losing to Manchester United on a weekend in which Arsenal lost points and Tottenham lost to Chelsea.
West Ham’s last stretch of the season looks challenging as well, with matches against Leicester, Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur, Chelsea, and Brighton on the horizon. They also have home games against Wolves, Arsenal, and Man City, and have played one more game than the clubs around them.
West Ham will have to work hard if they are to finish in the top four.
Key fixtures: Leicester (A) – Sunday Feb 13, Wolves (H) – Saturday Feb 26; kick-off 3pm, Liverpool (A) – Sunday Mar 5; kick-off 3pm, Tottenham (A) – Saturday Mar 19; kick-off 3pm, Chelsea (A) – Saturday Apr 23; kick-off 3pm, Arsenal (H) – Saturday Apr 30; kick-off 3pm, Man City (H) – Sunday May 15; kick-off 3pm, Brighton (A) – Sunday May 22, kick-off 4pm.
Arsenal
Position: 6th
Games played: 21
Points: 36
Top-four Sky Bet odds: 11/4
Active cup competitions: None
Arsenal had a disastrous start to the season, losing their first three games and had their worst start in 67 years. With Mikel Arteta under fire, they were rooted to the bottom of the Premier League, but the Spaniard has guided them to a miraculous turnaround at the Emirates Stadium.
The Gunners are presently in sixth place, with a game in hand on Manchester United following the postponement of the north London derby against Spurs. Their controversial New Year’s Day loss to Man City ended a run of four consecutive – and stunning – victories.
Their draw against Burnley prevented them from closing the gap on the top four, and Arteta will be hoping for a better outcome against Wolves on February 10 in their next Premier League match.
Arsenal will no longer compete in any cup competitions after being knocked out of the Carabao Cup by Liverpool, and instead focus completely on obtaining a coveted berth in the Champions League.
Key fixtures: Wolves (A) – Thursday Feb 10; kick-off 7.45pm, Wolves (H) – Thursday Feb 24; kick-off 7.45pm; Leicester (H) – Saturday Mar 12; kick-off 3pm, Brighton (H), Saturday April 9; kick-off 3pm, Manchester United (H), Saturday April 23; kick-off 3pm, West Ham (A) – Saturday April 30; kick-off 3pm, Chelsea (A) – TBC, Liverpool (H), TBC, Tottenham (A) – TBC
Tottenham
Position: 7th
Games played: 20
Points: 36
Top-four Sky Bet odds: 13/8
Active cup competitions: FA Cup
Tottenham are looking considerably more dangerous under Antonio Conte’s leadership, but there is still a lot of work to be done if they are to finish in the Premier League’s top four, as the head coach has stated on numerous occasions since his arrival in north London. They have a number of games in hand to seize control of the top-four race, but will they be able to turn them into the necessary points?
Since Conte’s arrival, Spurs’ fixture list has been hampered by three postponements, meaning they have multiple games in hand on all of their opponents. Tottenham would move ahead of third-placed Chelsea if they won all of their remaining games, despite having played four less than their London rivals.
Tottenham were upset by Thomas Tuchel’s team at Stamford Bridge, putting an end to Conte’s nine-game league unbeaten streak.
Spurs are in with a chance of making the top four at the end of the season after signing Rodrigo Bentancur and Dejan Kulusevski from Juventus on Deadline Day. They are only two points behind fourth-placed Manchester United.
However, visits to Manchester to face both City and United in the last weeks of the season, as well as a match against Liverpool at Anfield before the season ends, could complicate their hopes. That’s not to mention the postponed games that still need to be scheduled, which could cause scheduling conflicts as the season progresses.
Key fixtures: Wolves (H) – Sunday Feb 13; kick-off 2pm, Man City (A) – Saturday Feb 19; kick-off 5.30pm , Manchester United (A) – Saturday Mar 12; kick-off 3pm, West Ham (H) – Saturday Mar 19; kick-off 3pm, Brighton (H) – Saturday Apr 16; kick-off 3pm, Leicester (H) – Saturday Apr 30; kick-off 3pm, Liverpool (A) – Saturday May 7; kick-off 3pm, Arsenal (H) – TBC
Wolves
Position: 8th
Games played: 21
Points: 34
Top-four Sky Bet odds: 33/1
Active cup competitions: FA Cup
Wolves made a shaky start to the season, losing three consecutive 1-0 games to drop to 18th in the league under new manager Bruno Lage. One of those defeats came against Nuno Espirito Santo’s Tottenham Hotspur, who had taken over as manager of the north London club last season.
However, Lage has managed a turnaround in his team’s fortunes, with victories over Aston Villa, West Ham, and Brighton. With 19 Premier League goals, they are the third-lowest scoring team in the division, but their defensive prowess has been a significant component of their ascent up the table. Only Pep Guardiola’s Man City have conceded less goals than them this season.
Their start to 2022 has been equally remarkable, with victories over Manchester United, Southampton, and Brentford in quick succession. Could Wolves’ recent additions to their team help them push forward to secure European football next season, despite a challenging match list awaiting them in February?
Key fixtures: Arsenal (H) – Thursday Feb 10; kick-off 7.45pm, Tottenham (A) – Sunday Feb 13; kick-off 2pm; Leicester (H) – Sunday Feb 20; kick-off 4.30pm; Arsenal (A) – Thursday Feb 24; kick-off 7.45pm; West Ham (A) – Sunday Feb 27; kick-off 2pm; Man City (H) – Saturday Apr 16; kick-off 3pm; Brighton (H) – Saturday Apr 30; kick-off 3pm; Chelsea (A) – Saturday May 7; kick-off 3pm; Liverpool (A) – Sunday May 22; kick-off 4pm
