How Man Utd, Aston Villa, Liverpool and Chelsea’s Next Five Premier League Games Compare

There were more twists in the race to qualify for next season’s Champions League.

The race for Champions League qualification is hotting up. | Visionhaus/Getty Images, Robbie Jay Barratt/AMA/Getty Images, Darren Staples/AFP/Getty Images, Mark Cosgrove/News Images/NurPhoto/Getty Images, Andrew Kearns/CameraSport/Getty Images, Marc Atkins/Getty Images

The 30th weekend of Premier League action is in the history books and we’re a little closer to knowing who may qualify for next season’s Champions League.

What’s certain is that Michael Carrick’s iteration of Manchester United is far better than Ruben Amorim’s. The Red Devils bagged a fifth consecutive home win under Carrick, beating Unai Emery’s Aston Villa 3–1, and now have 22 points from a possible 27 since appointing their former midfielder.

The reverse for Villa was the latest blot on a form copybook that leaves plenty to be desired. Talk of a title challenge now seems laughable with Arsenal 19 points clear of Emery’s side, and this latest defeat at Old Trafford was particularly concerning. Ollie Watkins was nowhere to be found for an hour—he was hooked by his manager at that point—and Morgan Rogers, the club’s other leading light, was equally as ineffective.

Still, things were just as bad for Chelsea on Saturday. Not only did referee Paul Tierney get in the way of their now infamous pre-match huddle—don’t forget folks, you must pay respect to the ball—but Liam Rosenior’s side lost to an entirely preventable goal from Anthony Gordon.

That reverse, along with Villa’s defeat, allowed Liverpool to climb back into the Premier League’s top five, but they failed to take full advantage after being held to a 1–1 draw by relegation battlers Tottenham Hotspur. The less said about Guglielmo Vicario’s goalkeeping for Dominik Szoboszlai’s free-kick, the better.

Of course, five spots being available is dependent on the success of Premier League teams in Europe’s top competitions. After the first legs of the round of 16, things aren’t looking quite as rosy as they once were.

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Man Utd, Liverpool, Aston Villa and Chelsea’s Next Five Matches

Manchester United were worthy winners against Aston Villa on Sunday. | Marc Atkins/Getty Images

Man Utd	Aston Villa	Liverpool	Chelsea
Bournemouth (A) – March 20	West Ham (H) – March 22	Brighton (A) – March 21	Everton (A) – March 21
Leeds (H) – April 13	Nott’m Forest (A) – April 11	Fulham (H) – April 11	Man City (H) – April 12
Chelsea (A) – April 18	Sunderland (H) – April 18	Everton (A) – April 19	Man Utd (H) – April 18
Brentford (H) – April 27	Fulham (A) – April 27	Crystal Palace (H) – April 25	Brighton (A) – April 26
Liverpool (H) – May 2	Tottenham (H) – May 2	Man Utd (A) – May 2	Nott’m Forest (H) – May 2

Man Utd’s streak of home wins has included the notable scalps of Manchester City and Villa, as well as well as victories over Tottenham, Crystal Palace and Fulham. The good news is three of the Red Devils’ next five outings are at Old Trafford, too—Leeds United, heavily involved in the relegation fight, and Brentford kick things off, before a huge battle with Liverpool takes place at the beginning of May.

A trip to Bournemouth is in United’s immediate crosshairs—Andoni Iraola’s side can be brilliant or extremely average—and there’s also a mouthwatering clash with Chelsea in the colloquially named Alejandro Garnacho derby.

Aston Villa’s run of games looks kind on paper, but Emery’s Europa League glory hunters are low on confidence and rank in the bottom five for Premier League points picked up in 2026. West Ham are scrapping for their lives so that home fixture takes on a whole new complexion, while Villa’s trip to Nottingham Forest in the first game after the international break carries the same stakes.

Sunderland and Fulham are two unpredictable teams who have the ability to surprise, before a juicy looking home game with Tottenham kicks off the final month of the campaign.

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Premier League Standings After Gameweek 30

Position	Team	Points	GD
3.	Man Utd	54	+13
4.	Aston Villa	51	+3
5.	Liverpool	49	+9
6.	Chelsea	48	+18

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Liverpool must get something from difficult-looking trips to Brighton & Hove Albion and Merseyside rivals Everton, but they should be confident of coming away from home games with Fulham and Crystal Palace with maximum points. What happens at Old Trafford when they face United is anybody’s guess.

Chelsea’s next three Premier League games are less favorable. A trip to David Moyes’s Everton will be tough, as will back-to-back clashes with Manchester’s City and United. Brighton and Nottingham Forest round off the Blues’ next five—matches the club’s increasingly agitated supporters will expect to win.

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