Jamie Carragher has accused Gary Neville of changing his mind on who will have the better campaign between Manchester United and Liverpool just one match into the new season. United endured the worst possible start when they were beaten 2-0 away to newly-promoted Hull City.
Opening Weekend Surprises
Amid the inquisition of what happened at the MKM Stadium, Andoni Iraola's first Premier League match in charge of the Reds saw them seconds away from defeat. His side trailed Newcastle United 2-1 until Dominik Szoboszlai scored a 99th-minute penalty to secure a 2-2 draw.
Neville claimed he finds it difficult to guess who will do the best out of Liverpool and United, something Carragher, who believes Arsenal will win the title with Manchester City, Chelsea and Liverpool following behind them, called him out on during Sky Sports' Monday Night Football.
Neville's Shifting Predictions
When asked to choose between the two Premier League heavyweights, Neville said: "Look, do you want me to be honest? Yes. I can't separate United and Liverpool in fourth place."
Carragher then snapped back: "I've heard you've changed it four times over the weekend. So after United played, he changed it to Liverpool. Liverpool played and he changed it to United."
Neville then replied: "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."
Final Predictions and Early Results
"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."
When told to nail down his prediction, Neville crowned Arsenal as his Premier League champions, with Chelsea finishing as runner-up, ahead of City and United. Arsenal, Chelsea and City all began the new campaign with a victory.
Mikel Arteta's side opened their Premier League title difference with a 2-0 dismantling of Coventry City, while the Blues overcame Fulham 3-2 on Monday night. Enzo Maresca's Premier League debut as Manchester City manager also proved dramatic, with late goals from Marc Guehi and Josko Gvardiol securing a 2-1 win over Bournemouth.
The aforementioned trio are three of nine teams who began the new Premier League campaign with a victory. Up next in the Premier League, Chelsea host Brighton and Hove Albion at Stamford Bridge. City play on Friday night when they take on Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park, while Arsenal are not in action until Monday when they face Aston Villa at Villa Park.
