Jamie Carragher Calls Out Gary Neville's Premier League Predictions

Jamie Carragher has accused Gary Neville of ripping up his Premier League predictions barely a week into the season – and doing it more than once.

The former Liverpool defender pounced on his Sky Sports colleague live on Monday Night Football after Neville admitted he was struggling to split Manchester United and Liverpool in the race for a top-four place.

The backdrop? A chaotic opening weekend that has already scrambled a few pundit notebooks.

United crashed to a miserable 2-0 defeat away at newly-promoted Hull City, an early jolt to Erik ten Hag’s plans and a result that instantly darkened the mood at Old Trafford. While United unravelled at the MKM Stadium, Liverpool were living on the edge in Andoni Iraola’s first Premier League game in charge.

The Reds trailed Newcastle United 2-1 deep into stoppage time and were seconds from defeat before Dominik Szoboszlai held his nerve to bury a 99th-minute penalty and salvage a 2-2 draw. One point rescued, plenty of questions still hanging in the air.

That uncertainty spilled into the studio.

Asked to nail his colours to the mast and choose between the two heavyweights, Neville said: “Look, do you want me to be honest? Yes. I can't separate United and Liverpool in fourth place.”

Carragher pounced.

“I've heard you've changed it four times over the weekend,” he shot back. “So after United played, he changed it to Liverpool. Liverpool played and he changed it to United.”

Neville didn’t deny the shifting ground. He laid out how his thinking has evolved as the season approached and then exploded into life.

“A couple of weeks ago, I had United in third. I didn't have Chelsea where they were, but as you sort of get nearer to the season, you start to look at the squads and you start to think about it,” he explained.

“You think about Chelsea and the fact they've got no European football. That'll give them a big edge. I think City are in a better position than United. Look, at the moment, I'm not convinced by United or Liverpool, really, but I do think they'll finish fourth and fifth.”

Pressed again to commit, Neville finally laid out his full top-four call: Arsenal to win the Premier League title, Chelsea as runners-up, with Manchester City third and United fourth. That leaves Liverpool, in his eyes, on the outside looking in.

It is a bold order, but the early results at least haven’t embarrassed him yet. Arsenal, Chelsea and City all opened with wins.

Mikel Arteta’s side began their title defence with a controlled 2-0 victory over Coventry City, a professional dismantling that set an immediate standard. Chelsea, under the lights on Monday night, edged past Fulham 3-2 in a lively contest that hinted at both promise and vulnerability.

Enzo Maresca’s first Premier League game as Manchester City manager turned into late drama at the Etihad. City had to come from behind against Bournemouth, with goals from Marc Guehi and Josko Gvardiol turning a nervous evening into a 2-1 win.

Those three sit among nine clubs who opened the new campaign with three points, a reminder of how crowded the top half could become once the season settles.

There is no time to breathe. Chelsea are back at Stamford Bridge next, hosting Brighton and Hove Albion in a fixture that will test Neville’s confidence in their resurgence and the advantage of a season without European football.

City travel to Selhurst Park for a Friday night meeting with Crystal Palace, a ground that has never been straightforward for title chasers. Arsenal wait until Monday for their second act, away at Aston Villa’s Villa Park, another stern early examination of their credentials.

One weekend in and the predictions are already wobbling. If this is how quickly the landscape shifts, how many more U-turns will we see before May?