Liverpool have clear Champions League warning they now cannot ignore
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Liverpool still have work to do despite opening up a gap in the race for Champions League qualification next seasonIt's not quite the same as Gerard Houllier's infamous claim Liverpool stood 10 games from greatness back in 2002. But the final five matches for the Reds will resonate long after the final whistle is sounded on a difficult campaign.Dramatic victory at Hill Dickinson Stadium on Sunday afternoon cemented their place in the top five and opened up a seven-point gap to the chasing pack before it was closed slightly when Chelsea travelled to Brighton on Tuesday evening.Remarkably, Arne Slot's side are one of only four teams - Manchester City, Bournemouth and Leeds United the others - to have won their last two Premier League matches, underlining the difficulty for teams to put together a run of consecutive victories at this stage of the season.The last round of European games confirmed what had been suspected for some time with England being awarded an extra place in the Champions League next term.FOLLOW OUR LIVERPOOL FC FACEBOOK PAGE!
All the latest news and analysis from Anfield on the Liverpool Echo's dedicated LFC Facebook pageAnd while Liverpool will most certainly have their sights set on the teams immediately above them - both Manchester United and Aston Villa stand three points ahead and still have to welcome the Reds - there will no doubt be a watchful eye kept on those behind them.Indeed, the remainder of Liverpool's run is not straightforward, with a home game against Crystal Palace - who have already beaten the Reds three times this season - and further Anfield encounters against fellow top-five aspirants Chelsea and Brentford. And Liverpool's record over the closing stages should act as a warning, with the Anfield side having suffered diminishing returns over the final five games of the campaign.In 2020/21, the Reds took maximum points as they completed a remarkable end-of-season salvage attempt to secure Champions League qualification after an injury-hampered term.The following year, a home draw to Tottenham Hotspur ultimately proved decisive as 13 points from 15 saw them pipped to the Premier League crown by Manchester City virtue of a solitary point.Eleven points wasn't enough in 2023 to nudge into the top four after another difficult campaign, while the unexpected title challenge of 12 months later fell away with seven dropped points.And, of course, last season's tally of just five points - only twice have they won fewer over the final five games in the Premier League era - owed much to Liverpool having won the title with four games to spare by thrashing Tottenham Hotspur 5-1.For context, Chelsea, Brentford, Brighton and Everton all took at least 10 points from their final games last season, although only the Stamford Bridge team realistically had anything to play for with a top-five berth on the line.Late-season slumps aren't uncommon in the race for the Champions League.
In 2021, Leicester City were in third and eight points ahead of Liverpool after 33 games and ended up finishing three points behind the Reds to miss out. And at the same point last season, Nottingham Forest had a cushion of three points and a game in hand and still failed to take a place at Europe's top table.Mathematically speaking, the Reds now require nine points to be absolutely sure of Champions League qualification, a total they've secured in six of the last nine seasons.