As recently as the middle of April, Liverpool were eighth, with a yawning 12-point chasm up to the teams that sat third and fourth in the Premier League table: Newcastle and Manchester United.
Less than a month later, the Reds have closed the gap up to the lucrative Champions League places to just one point. While Liverpool soar, Tottenham have sunk. Spurs trail fourth-placed United by six points with just three games left to play, all but dropping out of the race for the two places behind Manchester City and Arsenal - two teams that are guaranteed to finish first and second, even if the exact order is still to be decided.
Here are the fixtures that await Newcastle, Manchester United and Liverpool in the race for a spot in the gold-lined top four.
Current Premier League table, top scorers & upcoming fixtures
Newcastle top four run-in fixtures
Arsenal's thorny 2-0 victory at St. James' Park on Sunday ensured that the Gunners would finish above Newcastle this season. Even though Eddie Howe's side went blow-for-blow with the team that has led the Premier League for most of the season, defeat sowed a doubt of uncertainty in Newcastle's top-four aspirations.
Half of Newcastle's remaining matches are against teams desperately scrapping against the drop. First up is a trip to Leeds United's Elland Road, the new home former Magpie manager Sam Allardyce. The shared enmity between fanbase and coach will certainly add a bitter undercurrent to a high-stakes encounter.
Dean Smith's Leicester City are the last visitors of the season to St. James' Park after Brighton make the 350 mile trip north on Thursday 18 May.
Newcastle travel to Stamford Bridge on the final day of the season. Chelsea may have far less to play for than the Magpies by 28 May but they have history on their side - the Blues have not lost at home to Newcastle since Papiss Cisse's inspired brace in 2012.
Man Utd top four run-in fixtures
The impact of a 57-game season began to show itself in a sluggish 1-0 loss for Manchester United against relegation-spooked West Ham on Sunday. Much like Newcastle, United have a game in hand on Liverpool and can secure a top-four spot with three more wins.
Erik ten Hag was all too keen to point this out when he stressed: “It's not about Liverpool, it's about us and because of the table, we have everything in our hands.”
United's final four league fixtures - the Red Devils also have an FA Cup final on the horizon against Manchester City - are exclusively against clubs with very little to play for. Wolves and Bournemouth, United's next two opponents, have hauled themselves out of the relegation mire while the west London duo of Chelsea and Fulham are bouncing around the purgatory of mid-table.
There may be some concerns with United's failure to score in four of their last six games - yet all but one of those contests have taken place outside of Manchester. Three of United's final four games are at Old Trafford - a venue at which they haven't tasted defeat since the opening day of the season.
Liverpool top four run-in fixtures
Despite leading his side to a six-game winning run, Jurgen Klopp remains coy about Liverpool's chance of penetrating the top four. "People ask me about the Champions League but that's not in our hands as we don't play any of the teams above us," he warned.
The Reds only have three matches left - two of which are against the sides currently residing in the relegation zone. Sandwiched between away trips to Leicester City and Southampton, Liverpool host Aston Villa. The Midlands outfit were hovering narrowly above the drop zone when Unai Emery took over but go into the final weeks of the season sniffing out a Europa League spot.
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This article was originally published on 90min as Newcastle, Man Utd & Liverpool’s fixtures compared in race for Champions League.
