I just watched Chelsea and Man United: My verdict on Liverpool’s top 5 rivals

Liverpool will have to overcome at least one of Man United or Chelsea in order to qualify for the Champions League next season.

The two sides have followed similar trajectories this season, but they are vastly different outfits.

I didn’t catch Aston Villa’s loss to Wolves on Friday night, but it seems like they are in a bad moment. A similar analysis will follow their clash with Chelsea next week — very interested to see what happens there.

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Both Chelsea and United had a change in manager in January, and Michael Carrick and Liam Rosenior have hit the ground running in their new roles.

But who poses the bigger threat to Liverpool’s Champions League prospects? Let’s look at Sunday’s games.

Chelsea’s spirited loss to Arsenal

The Blues entered their meeting with the league leaders knowing that both Liverpool and United picked up three points.

It was a characteristically drab affair at the Emirates, in which three set-piece goals determined the result. Arsenal came out 2-1 winners.

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Chelsea made Premier League history with Pedro Neto becoming the ninth player to be sent off this season, just four minutes after Arsenal took the lead for the final time. Rather than be overrun, they fought until the final whistle and came painfully close to finding an equaliser.

You could argue Chelsea were the better team, but that’s more of a slight on the home side than it is praise for the visitors.

They can be a dangerous transitional team and they don’t lack physicality, but the problems are the same as they have been all season. Unassured at the back, and lacking the talismanic presence of Cole Palmer — he was on the pitch, but he just doesn’t look the same player.

The second corner conceded did not paint Robert Sanchez in a great light, while the youngsters on the pitch looked directionless at times.

In my opinion, Chelsea are not going to finish above Liverpool. I just think it’s the same old story, wherein they look absolutely quality sometimes, but that lack of experience is so hard to get around.

They have the talent to do well in knockout competition, but finding that consistency over the span of a season is always going to prove difficult with this current recruitment policy.

Man United showed they are the bigger threat against Crystal Palace

It pains me to admit, but Carrick has done an exceptional job since taking over at Old Trafford.

I didn’t watch much of United for most of this season. It felt like a pretty sorry use of my time.

Since Ruben Amorim’s exit, they have been on a hot run of form. They even almost made it to the five wins in a row.

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And the football they are playing now is exciting, too. All that talent was being completely squandered, but now you see the likes of Benjamin Sesko and Matheus Cunha showing why there was so much hype around them.

Defensively, they’re far less leaky and the win against Palace has shot them up to third in the table, three points ahead of Liverpool. They are the bigger threat as of right now, but hopefully the new manager bounce loses steam.

Do I think they are better than us? No, but United have an edge over Liverpool with just the league to worry about, so we may well be neck and neck heading into the end phase this season.

Those final four games of the campaign — where Liverpool face United, Chelsea and Villa before hosting Brentford at Anfield on the final day — could write the story on their own.

Villa look to be faltering, Chelsea haven’t convinced me, United are good now. I think that’s the takeaway.

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