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Sports
Liverpool's 1-1 draw with Chelsea leaves them needing at least three points from their last two Premier League games to secure a top-five finish and a Champions League spot.
Liverpool's grip on a Champions League berth for the 2026-27 season is slipping after a 1-1 home draw with Chelsea on Saturday. The result cost the reigning Premier League champions two vital points in the race for European qualification, leaving them in fourth place with 59 points from 36 matches.
The top five teams in the English top flight earn direct entry to next season's Champions League. Arsenal, Manchester City, and Manchester United have already locked in three of those spots, leaving Liverpool, Aston Villa, and Bournemouth to battle for the remaining two.
Saturday's stalemate at Anfield marked Liverpool's second consecutive game without a victory, following last week's 3-2 loss to Manchester United. Dutch midfielder Ryan Gravenberch put the Reds ahead in the sixth minute, finishing a move started by Rio Ngumoha with a powerful shot into the right corner. Argentine Enzo Fernandez equalized for Chelsea half an hour later, and the match ended 1-1 after a scoreless second half.
Manager Arne Slot's side now faces a critical two-game stretch to avoid missing the Champions League entirely—a scenario that would echo their absence in the 2023-24 campaign.
Liverpool's path to qualification is complicated by the identity of their remaining opponents. They travel to fifth-placed Aston Villa in the penultimate round, then host Bournemouth on the final day. Aston Villa, one point behind Liverpool, face relegated Burnley next and could leapfrog the Reds with a win.
The Reds need at least three points from their final two matches to guarantee a top-five finish, regardless of results elsewhere. A victory against either Aston Villa or Bournemouth would be enough to secure their place in Europe's elite competition.
