Aston Villa's 4-2 victory against Liverpool mathematically secured the Birmingham team in fourth or fifth place to play in Champions League next season, even if they have an alternate route if they win Europa League on Wednesday against Freiburg. But it was another disaster for Liverpool, which has recorded two defeats and one draw in the last three matches to stay at 59 points after 37 games... and faces competition from Bournemouth, 55 points after 36 games.
The first key match for Liverpool is also a key match for Arsenal in their race for the Premier League title. Bournemouth faces Manchester City on Tuesday, May 19, at 19:30 BST, 20:30 CEST. If Manchester City wins or draws (which of course sounds like the most likely scenario), Liverpool will secure fifth place in Premier League.
However, if Bournemouth stuns Manchester City (which would also give Arsenal the league title on Tuesday), they would be 58 points before the final matchday, on Sunday, May 24 at 16:00 BST.
In that case, a win would be enough for Liverpool to secure fifth place and Champions League presence next season. But if Liverpool draws or loses that game on Sunday, and Bournemouth wins, Liverpool would finish the league sixth, forced to play Europa League in 2026/27...
In short, Liverpool has almost everything in their favour, because all of that depend on the (on paper) unlikely defeat of Manchester City against Bournemouth tomorrow, and even if that were to happen they have their fate in their hands. Even if they end up qualifying one way or another, they would end with their lowest points haul since 2015/16, a total disappointment after winning the Premier League last season...