Manchester United are battling for a spot in the Champions League and it remains to be seen how many spots the Premier League is awarded for next season’s competition

Manchester United’s Champions League hopes were boosted on Tuesday night after Arsenal sealed their European progression into the competition’s quarter-final stage. The Gunners defeated Bayer Leverkusen 2-0 thanks to goals from Eberechi Eze and Declan Rice.

The Premier League is hoping to retain a fifth spot for Europe’s top competition. To do so, they need to place among the top two teams in UEFA’s coefficient rankings.

Heading into this week’s ties, England topped the rankings ahead of Spain and Germany. The nation holds a substantial lead over Germany, who effectively lagged behind by 33 total points heading into this round of fixtures.

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Arsenal’s win over Leverkusen offers a boost on two levels. The Premier League did receive blows as Manchester City and Chelsea crashed out of the competition, however.

City’s result matches their effort from last season as they failed to make the top eight for the second season in a row. Chelsea were not in the competition last term, although Aston Villa did make the quarter-finals when they qualified.

Newcastle and Liverpool play tomorrow night, looking to remain in the tournament. The Magpies head to Barcelona on level terms, while Arne Slot’s side welcome Galatasaray, needing to overcome a 1-0 deficit.

United currently sit in third place following their inspired form since Michael Carrick took the reins. The new head coach has tasted just one defeat in the Premier League.

The 13-time Premier League champions are three points ahead of Aston Villa in fourth, and five points ahead of Liverpool, who are fifth. United hold a six-point lead over Chelsea, who sit sixth, outside of the possible Champions League qualification spots.

Carrick believes his side are embracing the pressure of chasing European football. “I think we’re always in a test,” he said.

“It’s always about what’s next, what you’re going to react [like], whether you’ve won, whether you haven’t won. What’s going to be the reaction? What’s the emotions in the group? What’s the motivation for the next game? And driving that forward.

“I understand with it being the first defeat it feels a little bit different, but it’s going to come at some point. It’s a tough league. Most teams, if not every team, has suffered that in recent times so it’s putting things in perspective and putting it in a shape where we can improve.

“We’ve taken a lot of confidence from [games recently] as a group and what we show we can achieve and how we play. It’s an important game, there’s no getting away from it. It’s a fantastic game.

“We’ve put ourselves in a position now where there’s an awful lot to play for so really embracing the situation and looking forward to the next game.”