‘We have choked, it’s simple as that’: Rio Ferdinand rules Manchester United out of the title race

Rio Ferdinand believes Manchester United are out of the title race after ‘choking’ against Everton on Saturday.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side missed the chance to go level on points with Manchester City – who still have a game in hand – after Dominic Calvert-Lewin scored a 95th minute equaliser for the Toffees.

Ferdinand felt disappointed with United’s performance and said they are guilty of ‘tripping themselves up all the time’. 

United’s 3-3 draw with Everton has seen Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s men fall five points behind Manchester City.

It also marks another game in which United have failed to walk away with three points.

United’s title hopes are beginning to diminish as they have won just two of their last six league games – with their biggest upset coming against bottom-placed Sheffield United.

Speaking of United’s fall from grace, Ferdinand told FIVE: ‘You can’t defend it. At the end of the day Man United were sitting pretty at the top of the league.

Manchester United drew 3-3 with Carlo Ancelotti’s Everton side on Saturday (above)

Dominic Calvert-Lewin tapped in from a Lucas Digne free-kick to equalise for Everton late on

‘We didn’t come into this season expecting to be title challengers. We were too far behind Liverpool (last season). You can’t expect to have a turnaround that big to win the league, it’s impossible.

‘But I’m like all the other fans. You see the league table, you look at the results, you get excited. When you put yourself in that position, Man United have to strike. You’re there now and there’s an opportunity.

‘When there’s an opportunity you’ve got to go. The problem is we’ve let this opportunity slip through our hands. You can see Man City with their experience, they’ve smelt blood, they’ve put their heads down, they’ve gone.

‘But United have stuttered, we’ve got the choke going, haven’t got it quite working properly. We have choked, it’s simple as that. I’d put us out of the title challenge unless we go on a run and we change our habits and our lack of consistency.

The draw puts Man United five points behind Manchester City – who have a game in hand

Ferdinand criticised Harry Maguire (left) for not leading the United team from the back

‘But I haven’t seen enough to suggest we can go on a ten, 15-game winning streak. We’re tripping ourselves up all the time. It’s top four, we’ll finish second or third.’

Ferdinand also criticised United’s defensive structure for Everton’s equaliser, adding: ‘I see Harry Maguire, you’ve got to lead that team from the back and make sure (mistakes) don’t happen.

‘I was fuming before the free-kick. Aaron Wan-Bissaka has to understand his game management at this time of the game.

‘Passing the ball inside, loose like that, to be cut out, is criminal. I would have been going nuts in that changing room, screaming.’