Edwin van der Sar and Jamie Carragher gave their latest Premier League finish verdict for Manchester United, as the club’s pursuit of Champions League football goes on.
Michael Carrick’s team claimed a vital three points on Monday evening, courtesy of a second-half goal from Benjamin Šeško that sealed a 1–0 victory for Manchester United against Everton.
The match started at a frantic pace, with both sides creating early opportunities in an open and energetic first half. Steady drizzle made conditions tricky, the slick surface contributing to a scrappy and fiercely contested battle. Despite their attacking intent, neither team managed to break the deadlock before the interval.
United emerged for the second half with greater composure and control, prompting Carrick to introduce Šeško in place of Amad in search of added cutting edge. Everton grew into the contest as the half wore on, but it was the Slovenian forward who ultimately made the difference, calmly converting with 20 minutes left to hand the visitors the lead.
Everton pressed hard for an equaliser in the closing stages, yet goalkeeper Senne Lammens produced a string of excellent saves and authoritative claims to preserve the advantage. United withstood the late pressure at the Hill Dickinson Stadium, a result that lifts them to fourth in the table.
Latest Champions League verdict revealed
Speaking on Sky Sports after the victory, United legend Edwin van der Sar, as well as ex-Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher, gave their latest verdicts on how high United can finish in the league this season.
On United’s odds of qualifying for the Champions League next season, Carragher said, “That’s virtually a guarantee in that position because Aston Villa don’t have, well, Aston Villa look like they’re dropping points at the moment.
“They’ve still got the European football on Thursday night as well, a lot of Thursday and Sunday. Liverpool and Chelsea are both still in the Champions League, and they’ve got the FA Cup as well.
“And we’ll do well in at least one of those competitions and at least a sort of semi-final and final. And yeah, I can’t see Manchester United not making it.”
Van der Sar happy with United’s progression
Van der Sar echoed Carragher’s sentiment, also expanding on the advantages that Carrick has over the other managers in a similar position in the table. “I think the main thing for Man United is to finish in the top four, top five, get that Champions League football, and get some more results in March.
“I think there’s some periods in between, of course, not out of the cup, no international football. So he has time to work on the formation on the training ground at Carrington. And let’s hope the form of the team is growing all the time, clicking, of course, there’s the demand for places.
“The question of the journalists are now coming, of course, even stronger. Does Šeško need a starting position? Perhaps, but at the moment, yeah, he’s picking the right numbers and the right names for the team.
“Good also with injuries, injury-wise, okay, [Lisandro] Martinez, I think [Leny] Yoro played also his part in the game tonight, so players are getting their chances and hopefully the success will be there. It’s working, isn’t it?”
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Manchester United hold the advantage over their rivals
Manchester United’s 1-0 win was critical in the race for Champions League football, with the win now leaving them in fourth place, three points ahead of Chelsea and Liverpool in 5th and 6th, and now just three points behind Aston Villa in third.
After enjoying a fantastic run of form towards the end of 2025, Aston Villa have dropped off slightly, winning just three games this year from a possible eight.
United’s two main rivals in the race for Champions League football will be Liverpool and Chelsea, but United hold the major advantage of having just 11 games left to play this season, all being Premier League games.
Liverpool and Chelsea, on the other hand, still have the FA Cup to contend with, as well as the Champions League, meaning there will be major fixture congestion towards the end of the season, while United have just one game a week to plan for.
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