Supercomputer predicts how top four will finish with Man Utd & Liverpool locked

MANCHESTER UNITED and Liverpool are locked in a classic top four battle as the season speeds towards its conclusion.

The Red Devils had been cruising towards Champions League qualification under Erik ten Hag.

But back-to-back 1-0 defeats to Brighton and West Ham have seen Liverpool roar back into the frame.

Jurgen Klopp's men have won five games on the bounce since drawing 2-2 with Arsenal last month - building momentum at exactly the right time of the season.

Over at FiveThirtyEight, boffins and brainiacs use data to predict how the rest of the season will unfold.

And they reckon that Liverpool have given themselves too much to do in the closing weeks of the season.

The Reds currently trail Man United by just one point, but Ten Hag's side possess what could be a crucial game in hand.

Liverpool's run-in appears favourable on paper, with trips to struggling Leicester and Southampton sandwiching an Anfield clash with Aston Villa.

United, meanwhile, host Wolves next time out before a trip to Bournemouth.

Then comes their game in hand, an Old Trafford assignment with Chelsea, before another home match against Fulham.

FiveThirtyEight's prediction has United to win two and draw two of their remaining matches to finish on 71 points, and Liverpool to win two and lose one to finish on 68.

Should it come down to goal different the Merseysiders will be favoured, with Klopp's side currently on +25 and United on a comparatively paltry plus eight.

Elsewhere in the table, the supercomputer backs Manchester City to beat Arsenal to the Premier League title by four points.

While it reckons Brighton will grab the second Europa League spot ahead of Tottenham - with Spurs qualifying for the Europa Conference League over Aston Villa.

At the bottom, it backs Nottingham Forest to leapfrog Leeds United into the safety of 17th - with Sam Allardyce's men to be relegated alongside Everton and Southampton.