Liverpool on track to cost Gary Neville thousands after staggering prediction comes back to haunt him

Former Manchester United defender Gary Neville could be left red-faced after entering a wager with Liverpool icon Jamie Carragher worth £5,000. The pair shook hands on a bet at the beginning of the season over who would finish higher in the Premier League.

As it stands, Neville could be left with egg on his face after the Reds moved nine points clear at the top of English football, while United crept into the top half of the table thanks to a 4-0 win over Everton. The wager was sparked ahead of the Red Devils' opening day win over Fulham as they kicked off their campaign with a 1-0 win over the Cottagers.

Since then, they toppled down the table, losing 3-0 to Liverpool in the process, which resulted in Erik ten Hag's sacking. On the other hand, Arne Slot has seemingly rubbished the pre-season conception that his side would struggle after being under the tutelage of Jurgen Klopp for nearly a decade.

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Now, Liverpool find themselves nine points clear at the top of the Premier League. They are also 15 points clear of the Red Devils, who are unbeaten since Ruben Amorim took over.

But for Neville, he faces the prospect of losing £5,000 following a bet with his former rival. He said in August: "Roy, before the game, you won't have seen it in the Sky Sports News cross, Carra and I had a £5,000 bet for charity that Liverpool would finish above Manchester United (or) Manchester United finish above Liverpool. Whoever loses has to pay."

While Roy Keane didn't partake in the deal, he did admit that he felt United would finish above Liverpool. However, he has been forced to alter his opinion following the Reds' superb start.

"Absolutely fantastic, we have to praise the manager and he has done an amazing job," he told Sky Sports on Sunday. "They were a decent group he took over, whatever he has added to it his personality...

"If you had said at the start of the season Liverpool would be where they are now you wouldn't believe them, you'd think they would need locking up. But their performances, defensively they are very good and their big players are turning up at big occasions.

"No way were Liverpool losing today, absolutely not. And it wasn't just their effort today, they showed great quality. The decision-making in terms of possession was excellent."