How Chelsea can qualify for Europa League after Nottingham Forest win

Chelsea will still have belief they can still qualify for the Europa League before the end of the season.

The Blues boosted their hopes of European qualification with victory over Nottingham Forest in the Premier League. Chelsea claimed a 3-2 win thanks to goals from Mykhalio Mudryk, Raheem Sterling and Nicolas Jackson at the City Ground.

The win saw Chelsea remain in seventh place in the Premier League table but move three points clear of eighth-placed Manchester United ahead of their clash against Arsenal on Sunday. The Blues now have just two more top-flight fixtures before Mauricio Pochettino's first season in charge comes to an end.

Qualification for Europe is still in Chelsea's hands as they look to achieve some form of success this season. However, qualifying for the Europa League may be out of their hands.

At present, only the team that finishes fifth qualifies for the Europa League, with sixth being the spot that secures qualification for the Europa Conference League. That will change, though, depending on what happens in the FA Cup final.

If Manchester City win the trophy, then their spot in the Europa League will be transferred to a team in the Premier League table. This means that both fifth and sixth would qualify for the competition, with seventh going to the Europa Conference League.

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If Manchester United win the FA Cup then they would qualify for the Europa League regardless of their league position. If they finish fifth or sixth then the team in the other position would qualify with them for the competition.

If Man United finish seventh or eighth and wins the FA Cup, then the only other team that would qualify for the Europa League would be whoever finishes fifth. Sixth would still qualify for the Europa Conference League in this scenario.

Regardless of what happens in the FA Cup final, Chelsea will need to finish at least seventh to qualify for Europa. Finishing fifth would guarantee a Europa League spot, but Tottenham Hotspur are six points clear with just two games left to play.

Sixth is still achievable, with the Blues level on points with Newcastle who play Man United next. Chelsea face Brighton and Bournemouth in their final two fixtures, and victories in both would go a long way to securing qualification for Europe.