Mohamed Salah ‘devastated’ as Liverpool fail to qualify for Champions League

Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah said there is “no excuse” for the club missing out on the Champions League this season after Manchester United thrashed Chelsea to confirm to place in the Premier League’s top-four.

The Reds will be without Champions League football for the first time since the 2016-17 campaign next season, with Newcastle United also beating Jurgen Klopp’s side to a top-four spot - joining champions Manchester City and runners-up Arsenal.

Salah has reached the Champion League final three times since moving to Liverpool in 2017 and said the club had “failed” by only reaching the Europa League. Liverpool were defeated finalists last year and Salah said the club had “everything” they needed to qualify again this campaign.

The Egyptian posted a tweet immediately after United’s 4-1 win over Chelsea on Thursday, the result which confirmed Liverpool’s fifth-place finish this season, which read: “I’m totally devastated.

“There’s absolutely no excuse for this. We had everything we needed to make it to next year’s Champions League and we failed.

“We are Liverpool and qualifying to the competition is the bare minimum.

“I am sorry but it’s too soon for an uplifting or optimistic post. We let you and ourselves down.”

Liverpool went on a nine-game winning run to revive their hopes of Champions League qualification but Saturday’s 1-1 draw against Aston Villa at Anfield left United needing only a point from their final two fixtures against Chelsea and Fulham.

Afterwards, Liverpool manager Klopp accepted his side have not been good enough to qualify for the Champions League this season.

“I think the whole season is rather a season where we qualify for Europa League than for Champions League,” he said.

“We were for too long not good enough or ourselves.”