Liverpool Champions League boost confirmed as Jürgen Klopp's side now 'safe'
When Jürgen Klopp announced that he was going to leave Liverpool this summer, the dream scenario was clear. The FA Cup and the Europa League would have been nice, but winning the Premier League in front of fans was the ending everyone at Anfield wanted.
That isn't going to happen, though. Liverpool dropped out of contention for the biggest prize on offer with a few games to spare. A draw with Manchester United and then a defeat at home to Crystal Palace simply wasn't what was needed and the goals dried up at the worst possible time.
Any fears that Liverpool could slip back outside the top four, though — even though that was never realistically going to happen — were quickly eased. Even with the Premier League clubs' performances in Europe not being enough to earn the fifth spot via the UEFA coefficient, the Reds will be safely inside the top four spots no matter what happens from here.
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After Chelsea beat Spurs today, it is officially impossible for Liverpool to finish lower than fourth. A maximum of four more points from the final three games are required to confirm third spot.
"No good thoughts at all. Very disappointed and frustrated. It was not good enough," Klopp said at Goodison Park during his post-match press conference. "It was not the most inspired performance of all time, I really feel for the people. We never lost here (it was Everton’s first Goodison derby win in almost 14 years) and it feels really different. I really apologize for that."
The Liverpool boss went further, outlining his desire for Liverpool to keep fighting. Only a staggering collapse could have meant the Reds slipping out of the top four, but it was still possible at the time.
"We need a crisis at Man City and Arsenal and need to win football games because if they start losing all their games and we do what we did tonight nothing changes," Klopp continued. "We are not safe in the Champions League as well so we should just play better football.
"It is not a problem of attitude or what the boys want. No one is doing that on purpose. It is my job to bring them into a situation where they feel confident to do that. That part I am responsible, and I am responsible for what happened tonight."
After Arsenal beat Spurs in the north London derby, though, Liverpool's passage back into the Champions League was almost officially confirmed. Technically, Klopp's men needed one more point — which could come against Tottenham at Anfield next weekend — but they have a vastly superior goal difference.
If Liverpool was to lose its final three matches of the season and Spurs had won all of theirs, Ange Postecoglou's men would have to overturn a goal difference that is currently 26 worse. Tottenham has fallen at the first hurdle. The Premier League title might have escaped from Liverpool's grasp in a disappointing way, but the aim at the start of the season — to return to UEFA's top competition — is now officially completed.
An original version of this story was first published on April 28. It has since been updated.