How Man Utd closed the gap to Leicester and the top four

JULY

May is usually the month in which titles are awarded, relegations suffered and European places sorted, but in this most unusual of seasons, it would be July where the Premier League would reach its conclusion. While United were comfortably seeing off Bournemouth at Old Trafford, Jamie Vardy was passing 100 Premier League goals to help Leicester to their first league win since lockdown, over Crystal Palace. The league’s top scorer struck again to rescue a point at Arsenal, guaranteeing that the Foxes would end matchweek 34 above United, regardless of our result against Aston Villa. Nevertheless, we got the job done in the Midlands, to keep the pressure on.

Then came the weekend that blew the top-four race wide open. Both Chelsea and Leicester were beaten, at Sheffield United and Bournemouth respectively, giving the Reds the chance to leapfrog both, if we could negotiate the tricky-looking visit of Southampton. We so nearly did, until Michael Obafemi’s 96th-minute equaliser ensured the two sides in blue were let off the hook. A further three points for all three contenders followed, before Jose Mourinho’s Spurs found joy on the counter to consign the Foxes to another away defeat. Our point at home to West Ham, coupled with Chelsea’s defeat to Liverpool, means we go into Sunday’s match in pole position – but who knows what could happen next in this rollercoaster of a year…

Positions: United 3rd, Leicester 5th*
Points gap: United lead by 1*
Goal-difference gap: Level*

*After matchweek 37

We are all United! Get behind the Reds! On sale now, get the new Adidas training kit.